CORNELL 
 
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 NO. 23233 
 
 Cornell University Library 
 D 590.N98 
 
 Cinderellas of the fleet 
 
 3 1924 027 833 908 
 
1> 
 
The 
 
 CINDERELLAS 
 
 of the 
 
 FLEET 
 
The Submarine Chasers. 
 
 Pciintcd by John Olaf Todahl 
 
The 
 
 CINDERELLAS 
 
 of the 
 
 FLEET 
 
 By 
 
 WILLIAM WASHBURN NUTTING 
 
 Lieut, j. g. (C. C.) U. S. N, R. F. 
 
 With stories and photographs 
 by 
 
 Walter P. Groszman, Lieut., U. S. N. R. F. 
 
 Herbert L. Stone, Lieut., U. S. N. E. F. 
 
 Joseph L. Day, Lieut., U. S. N. (T) 
 
 George .S. Dole, Lieut, j. g.. U. S. N. R. F. 
 
 Maclear Jacoby, Lieut, j. g., U. S. N. R. F. 
 
 George N. Wallace, Ensign, U. S. N. R. F. 
 
 Henry Bonnel!, Ensign, U. S. N. R. F. 
 
 Maurice P. Shea, Lieut., R. N. V. R. 
 
 Gordon S. Maxwell, Lieut., R. N. V. R. 
 
 Bewick S. Cawthorn, Lieut., R. N. V. R. 
 
 and Frontispiece 
 
 by 
 
 JOHN OLAF TODAHL 
 
 Published by 
 
 THE STANDARD MOTOR CONSTRUCTION CO. 
 
 JERSEY CITY, N. J. 
 
Copyiight. 1920 
 
 by 
 
 THE STANDARD MOTOR CONSTRUCTION CO 
 
 J W^lol'f^ 
 
 R^ 
 
PREFACE 
 
 THIS LITTLE BOOK does not pretend to be a history of 
 anti-submarine warfare. Neither is it a scientific treatise on the 
 instruments and methods used in this the newest phase of naval 
 fighting. On the other hand, I am afraid there is all too little in it of 
 the romantic personal element, in which a war fought largely by kid 
 reservists in small boats is bound to be rich. It is the story of an idea 
 and how it grew in the face of indifference and ridicule to a success as 
 unexpected by the regular Navy as it was by the average layman. It 
 is the story of the Submarine Chasers. 
 
 Without wishing to underrate the part played in the war by the 
 high-seas fleets of Great Britain and our own country, we may say that 
 their part was largely a potential one. The actual work of strafing the 
 L^-boat, which was the big job of the war, was done by the scrubs — 
 the destroyers, the yachts, the trawlers, the drifters, the motor craft, 
 that Rudyard Kipling so aptly dubbed "The Fringes of the Fleet." 
 
 When the war cloud burst over Europe the submarine was the big, 
 new, practically untried instrument of naval warfare, to which the 
 Germans, foiled in their attempt to terminate the conflict in a single, 
 rapid thrust, looked to isolate England and to bring down the mighty 
 British Fleet, bit by bit, to the level of their own. No weapon had 
 yet been devised to counter it nor any successful method of fighting 
 it evolved. Its success was appalling and to make matters worse, it 
 seemed to evoL'e and multiply much more rapidly than the means and 
 methods of combatting it. 
 
 But gradually, out of the chaos and the experience dearly bought 
 with countless lives and scores of ships, there was evolved a method 
 of defense against the submarine and then a method of aggressive 
 warfare, with specially designed boats and numerous and elaborate 
 instruments for apprehending and destroying the tin shark. 
 
 Possibly we are still a little too close to the war to pick out of the 
 welter of unheard-of things and stupefying e\'ents those which were 
 really important, but as time goes on the last five years gradually will 
 
8 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 resolve themselves into a few salient, outstanding facts, just as wars 
 always have done since the beginning of time. To many people the 
 scrap between the Monitor and the Merrimac is the only thing that 
 happened on the water during the Civil War, although at the time, I 
 dare say, it received no more than passing notice. To the generations 
 to come, the big things in the World War, so far as the naval part of 
 it is concerned, will not be the Battle of Jutland, nor the Gallipoli 
 fiasco, nor the few other engagements in which capital ships took part, 
 but rather the spectacular, though long-drawn struggle between the 
 comparatively new submarine and the even newer means of combatting 
 it — the Submarine Chaser and its deadly depth bomb. 
 
 The Chaser is essentially an American product as was the British 
 "M.L.," its predecessor. The idea originated here and the boats, as 
 well as their motors and much of their ingenious equipment, were built 
 in this country. And now that they have made good, we're proud of 
 them. Everybody who knows what they did is proud of them. Even 
 the regular Navy shows marked signs of pride in her precocious step- 
 children, and those of us who talked motor boats from the time the 
 war began are trying hard to suppress a very real and a very human 
 impulse to say : "We told you so." For the Submarine Chasers, the 
 Cinderellas of the Fleet, have come home with a service record unsur- 
 passed by any class of ships in the Navy. 
 
 For a year, flung far along the Allied coast lines and our own, these 
 little vessels carried tirelessly on — convoying merchant ships, hunting 
 the submarine with their uncanny detection apparatus, dropping the 
 deadly depth bomb when they found him, exploding mines, fighting 
 ahead of the fleets and performing a thousand drudgeries as well, too 
 menial for their bigger sisters. And then, many of them in the dead 
 of winter, they came home across three thousand miles of ocean, bear- 
 ing proudly the scars of Durazzo and with a record of 40% of all 
 the submarines destroyed by American vessels. 
 
 Nobody, not even the visionary gentlemen who first began to play 
 with the idea, could have predicted the remarkable success attained 
 by the Submarine Chasers. Nobody except a handful of small boat 
 enthusiasts would have believed it possible for them to live out some 
 of the dirtiest weather that ever flayed the Western Ocean. And but 
 few, even after the job was finished, seemed to appreciate the fact that 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 9 
 
 the Chasers more than any other one thing sealed the fate of the 
 German submarine. 
 
 But they did more than that, for through their performance over 
 countless weary, rolling miles of sea, they have given us a fund of 
 valuable data on the possibilities of small boats and their power plants 
 that we never should have gathered in many a lazy year of peace. 
 
 Yes, we're proud of them now and of the kid reservists who com- 
 manded them and of the gobs who manned them. The little vessels 
 that were damned and ridiculed by the majority of battle-wagon men 
 from the time their design was first noised about, made good — glori- 
 ously made good. They have written a story that will live along with 
 the classics of naval history to fire the imagination of the youth of 
 generations to come. 
 
 William Washburn Nutting. 
 
 New York City, 
 September, 1919. 
 
Dedicated 
 
 TO 
 
 The Black Ganc. 
 
Part I 
 
 The British M. L's 
 
12 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Chapter I 
 The M. L.'s — Their Origin and Their Duties 
 
 IHA\'E always thought of the world as divided into two classes of 
 people: those who are interested in boats, and — well, just plain 
 
 folks. 
 
 So far as America is concerned, the "just plain folks" have been 
 somewhat in the ascendency since the days when the New Bedford 
 whalers and the famous Yankee clipper ships made the American 
 ensign a thing well known and respected on all the seven seas. ( )f 
 late years there hasn't been much to keep alive in our people a love 
 of the sea or much to which we could point with pride to refute the 
 taunt of the lime-juicer that we have forsaken the sea and become a 
 soft, land-loving nation — not much besides our Navy and always our 
 Gloucester fishing fleet. 
 
 But the war has changed all that. Not only has it put us Ixick on 
 something like a decent footing as a maritime nation, but it has added 
 a brilliant chapter to our naval history as well. It has brought back 
 thousands of men to the sea, and it has instilled in other thousands 
 a new interest in things nautical. 
 
 Let us take it for granted then that whoever finds himself in pos- 
 session of this book is interested in boats, that he speaks the language, 
 and that he wants in one volume as much information as he can get 
 about the particular kind of boat that, developed by the war, did as 
 much as any other instrumentality in bringing it to a successful con- 
 clusion. 
 
 No weapon, no policy, no idea developed under the stimulus of 
 war returned a fuller measure of what it was intended to do than 
 did the Submarine Chasers. No program was carried through to a 
 successful conclusion with less waste, less confusion, less blundering 
 than the seemingly impossible feat of building and powering in a 
 year's time four hundred and fifty 110-foot boats in forty dilTerent 
 places all over the country. And no individual or organization is more 
 
14 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 entitled to the gratitude of the nation at large than the company that 
 built, without hint of profiteering, the hundreds of engines with which 
 these boats were powered. But the really remarkable thing about the 
 whole program is that it was accomplished for the most part in the 
 existing boat-building yards of the country without deflecting labor 
 or material from the shipyards or delaying in the slightest the produc- 
 tion of merchant and naval vessels or their propelling machinery. 
 
 Another remarkable and typically American accomplishment was 
 the building of the earlier patrol boats for England — the five hundred 
 and fifty 80-footers, known as the M. L.'s, which did such varied and 
 valiant service during the later years of the war. These boats were 
 the forerunners of our own Chasers and it was upon the results of 
 their performance, to some extent, that our boats were designed. For 
 this reason I have decided to tell something of the M. L.'s and what 
 they did for England before continuing with the story of the Chasers. 
 
 The British M. L.'s 
 
 Back in 1914 America, the big, more-or-less neutral bystander, 
 startled and fascinated by what was happening on the other side of the 
 Atlantic, began to develop an interest in the scrap and to shout sug- 
 gestions to John Bull. John, fat and somewhat out of training, was 
 taking a lot of punishment on those selfsame waves that he had been 
 ruling for so long. 
 
 These suggestions were numerous and many of them proved of 
 service, but the best of them was this : "Why don't you go after the 
 pirates with a fleet of fast motor boats?" 
 
 Probably John Bull already had been thinking along this line him- 
 self for he had mobilized his trawlers and his yachts and his motor 
 craft early in the war, but at any rate his boat yards could not turn 
 out a job of this size. Standardized Chasers might be all right and 
 they might not, but other definite things were needed and his shipyards 
 were having all they could handle to produce these things without 
 experimenting with something doubtful. 
 
 By the spring of 1915 the submarine situation had become so grave 
 that the Lords of the Admiralty decided that something had to be 
 done and done quickly. From the frequent and audacious sinkings, 
 some of them at the very mouths of English harbors, and the toll 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 IS 
 
 Drawn by J. C. Powell. 
 An M. L. strikes heavy weather in the Straits of Gibraltar. 
 
 already taken from the British fleet itself, it was plain that a large 
 and powerful Navy was not the solution of the problem. Neither 
 were the thousands of trawlers, and other auxiliary craft patrolling 
 the waters of the British Isles, able to check the growing menace. 
 
 It was not long after this that a steamship arrived in New York 
 harbor bearing a commission of prominent British engineers on a 
 quest for boats, and they frankly solicited the co-operation and advice 
 of those whose experience might be of service. America, through 
 John P. Holland, had given to the world the most terrible of all the 
 deadly implements of modern warfare and now America was called 
 upon to devise a means for its destruction. 
 
 The very day of the arrival of the ship a message was received 
 by the Standard Motor Construction Company and the plant was kept 
 lighted that evening for the inspection of the engineer officers. The 
 facilities of the company were carefully considered as well as the 
 flesign of the motor and late in the night the visitors departed convinced 
 of the possibilities of the plant for the production of engines in the 
 quantities in which they were likely to be needed. 
 
16 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 A group of M. L.'s on the ways ready for launching. 
 
 Subsequently members of the commission met the head of the 
 Elco Works, a boat building organization, with a record as old and as 
 excellent as that of the Standard Motor Construction Company. 
 Away back in 1893 this company had built a fleet of fifty electric 
 launches for the Chicago World's Fair and from that time on had 
 acquired a reputation for standardized boats. It seemed the logical 
 yard to tackle the job. 
 
 Several days passed and then the commission expressed its readi- 
 ness to place an order for fifty 75-foot boats if the whole lot could 
 be delivered within a year's time. This was a task unprecedented in 
 the history of boat building, but Mr. Eugene Riotte of the Standard 
 Motor Construction Company and Mr. Henry Sutphen of the Elco 
 Works decided that it could be done. 
 
 On April 9, 1915, the contract for fifty boats was signed and once 
 actually started, the work progressed so rapidly that by the first of 
 May the master or pattern boat, from which the others were to be 
 standardized, was in frame at the Bayonne plant. 
 
 It was on this day that the Lusitania sailed on her last voyage and 
 a week later the appalling news of her destruction rocked the world. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 17 
 
 M. L.'s awaiting their trial runs on the St. Lawrence. 
 
 This probably was the cause of a cablegram from the Admiralty 
 ordering five hundred additional Chasers, the whole lot to be delivered 
 complete and in running order by November L5, IfllG. Five hundred 
 fifty boats in as many days! Eight miles of boats — think of it! There 
 was romance in the idea — romance beyond the dreams of a Kipling 
 or an H. G. Wells. 
 
 The Design of the M. L.',s 
 
 In order to appreciate the work that the M. L.'s have done in the 
 war, let us look at the design and how it was arrived at. 
 
 The problem which v/as put up to Mr. Irwin Chase, the designer, 
 was one which at first glance would seem impossible of solution. The 
 first consideration was the speed, which was to be 19 knots minimum 
 when fully loaded. The second consideration was the large cruising 
 radius specified, to attain which the fuel capacity had to be over 2000 
 gallons, which meant a weight of 12,000 pounds for fuel alone. 
 Besides this, it was necessary to allow for a deadweight of 30,000 
 pounds, the equivalent of the weight of the guns, ammunition, water 
 
18 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 and supplies — in other words, the weight over and aljove that of the 
 boat and its power plant complete. 
 
 The next consideration was seaworthiness, for it was specified 
 that the boat should be able to maintain station in any sort of weather. 
 And finally there was the problem of rapid construction which elimi- 
 nated at the start any possibility of the use of such features as double 
 planking and the like. A type of construction had to be decided on 
 which would be within the limits of complete standardization. 
 
 Further to limit the designer, the size had to be such that the 
 boats could be carried on the decks of steamships and for this reason 
 75 feet at first was decided on as the length of the boats. 
 
 This set of conditions would seem to be absolutely incompatible. 
 Never had there been a boat built which might offer suggestions and 
 the speed-length ratio was so high that any existing data from the 
 designs of torpedo boat destroyers was of no use whatever. 
 
 And so it was with an absolutely clean slate that Mr. Chase went 
 to work. Several sets of lines were drawn up as quickly as possible 
 from which models were made and in order to determine beyond a 
 doubt which of these would best meet the requirements, a flying trip 
 was made to the University of Michigan where they were towed in 
 the experimental tank. There had to be a compromise between speed 
 and seaworthiness and after elaborate tests in the basin, a model was 
 decided upon which had fairly fine Hues forward and a rather flat 
 after underbody or run, but still with considerable underwater body 
 or deadrise as the depth of the boat from the turn of the bilge to the 
 keel is called. 
 
 One of the models was more symmetrical in shape with the V- 
 sections carried clear to the stern, but while this might have proved 
 a trifle easier especially when running before a sea, it was found 
 impossible to attain a speed of 19 knots with reasonable power on a 
 length of 75 feet. The latter model, the so-called more seaworthy 
 model of the two under discussion, was found more easily driven up 
 to a speed of 15 knots but beyond this the advantage was all with the 
 boat with the flat run, especially when trimmed by the stern. 
 
 From the start the designer and the British Commission were 
 determined to employ medium speed motors, for the boats were to 
 be used day in and day out and they could not afford to risk a high 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 19 
 
 speed machine in a decidedly heavy duty outfit. Twin Standard air- 
 starting and reversing motors, rated at 320 horsepower each seemed 
 the logical power plant. 
 
 The results of the tests were wired at once to the Admiralty, and 
 these gentlemen, although they had specified a speed of 19 knots, 
 were inclined to doubt that such a speed could be obtained on the 
 calculated displacement and waterline length and with the power 
 specified. The designer realized the conservative rating of the motors 
 and their capacity for delivering considerably more than their rated 
 horsepower, but it was not until the trials of the first boats were run 
 off that the British representatives were convinced that this speed 
 was possible. 
 
 It was calculated that the cruising radius at full speed with 2000 
 gallons of gasoline would be 800 miles, although at 15 knots it would 
 be possible to cover 1000 miles and at 11 knots, 2100 miles. When 
 the order for 500 boats came in shortly after the completion of the 
 first sample from which the rest were standardized, it was decided to 
 lengthen out the boat from 75 to 80 feet. The body plan was kept the 
 same but it was found that by loosening up the interior arrangement 
 more comfortable quarters were obtained without the slightest reduc- 
 tion in speed. 
 
 Crowding 500 horsepower into even an 80-footer means that you're 
 not going to be able to treat the crew very generously in the matter of 
 living quarters with what space is left. Up forward, in a length of 
 twenty feet, seven men lived and slept in a fo'c's'le considerably 
 smaller than that of a Gloucester fisherman. The officers' quarters 
 in the stern were divided into a ward room "where two can turn 
 around and three becomes a crush" and a pretty decent sized stateroom 
 with two bunks. 
 
 Stuck in between the engine room and the pretentious ward room 
 was the galley, "stink hole of weird stenches that carry their message 
 of strange forms of nutrition fore and aft and permeate the nostrils 
 of all hands and especially of the cook." "I am afraid," says Lieut. 
 Dawson, "that I cannot tell in restrained tones of that hole of iniquity 
 in the galley, with its tintinnabulation of shifting pots and pans and 
 burning concoctions flung in a heavy sea over parafifine burners." 
 
20 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Their Reception in England 
 
 It was to be expected that there would be some criticism of such a 
 type of boat when it arrived on the other side. Not only were the 
 naval authorities unfamiliar with this sort of craft, being somewhat 
 behind our own navy in experience with motor-driven boats, but the 
 yachtsmen of the R. N. V. R., who for the most part commanded them, 
 were equally inexperienced in the type. The Britisher had a consti- 
 tutional leaning toward a model with greater draft for sea work and a 
 pretty good leaning it is too, and there was not a little apprehension 
 that the boats would behave badly and might actually capsize in a 
 heavy sea. The motor they knew to some extent and besides, its 
 sturdy, honest qualities were just those to appeal to the conservative 
 British temperament. 
 
 Gradually whatever doubt there may have been at the start was 
 dispelled by the remarkable performance of the boats. When they 
 arrived the submarine shifted the scene of his activities farther and 
 farther out to sea and the M. L.'s gradually came to be called upon 
 to perform much more strenuous work than anyone had anticipated 
 when they were designed. For days on end they maintained their 
 station far out at sea — too far to be able to run for a harbor in case 
 of dirty weather. Frequently they were forced to ride out storms 
 which for cussedness and perseverance have our own brand beaten 
 forty ways. The shallow North Sea is bad enough at any time, but 
 in the winter it is downright wicked. 
 
 But the M. L.'s made good. Not only in the actual work of 
 patrolling for submarines but in countless other ways as well — sweeping 
 for mines in the channels ahead of ships, convoying merchant vessels, 
 towing the deadly Q type paravane for lurking subs, laying mines, 
 co-operating with air craft — in the Channel, in the North Sea, in the 
 Mediterranean, at the Dardanelles and in the Adriatic. 
 
 The ubiquitous M. L.'s did what the other ships could not do and 
 did it well. Their work attracted the attention of the French and 
 Italians, and large orders were placed for Standard motors and in 
 many cases for completed boats which brought the total number of 
 M. L.'s up to 720. 
 
 In this connection it might be interesting to read what the skipper 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 21 
 
 x-\ssembling the M. L.'s. Even the planking of these boats was standardized 
 and cut to templates before shipping from the Bayonne plant. 
 
 of one of the M. L.'s has to say about them. "Seven Pennant," 
 writing in the Yachting Monthly, says : 
 
 "Our sympathetic friends and relations on shore have often ex- 
 pressed pity for the hardships of the winter of wet and cold, but no 
 one outside the iVI. L.'s themselves have ever realized what is really 
 the greatest hardship of all. It is summed up in the word motion. 
 Reader, have you ever tried to do a continual course of Swedish exer- 
 cises from, say, 4 a. m. until 6 p. m. with no interval for food ? I take 
 it you have not, but if you can try and imagine to yourself the bodily 
 fatigue and vexation of spirit that would be produced by this form of 
 penance and then add to it wind, bitter cold and, perhaps, nay prob- 
 ably, wet, you may glean some idea of the hardships expressed by 
 this little two syllabled word. I might also have added a slight 
 form of nausea common to many of us, but often not admitted. 
 Motion — and we get it throughout most days of the winter — is the 
 curse of our existence. It is present without respite, without pity for 
 fatigue and aching bone and muscle, an enemy to rest, to rob us of 
 food, and indeed of every amenity of life. This briefly is what the 
 
22 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Photograph by courtesy of Lieut. Bewick S. Cawthorn, R.N.V.R. 
 The gun crew of an M. L. and their wicked little 3-inch gun. 
 
 hardships of motion mean to us. An M. L. is never on an even keel, 
 save on the very smoothest of days, days that during the year one 
 can count on one hand. We ride over everything, and our very Hves 
 depend on this fact, for we are too fragile to "go through" or take 
 it really "solid." It is due to this fact, too, that our brave little ships 
 derive their wonderful seagoing capacity. 
 
 "In spite of all we hear to the contrary, how wonderful are the 
 sea-going qualities of the M. L.'s. Never in my wildest dreams did I 
 think a small vessel of their size could live in the seas I have seen 
 them live in, and survive without the smallest hurt, the only anxiety 
 being the engines, the failure of which might have meant disaster, 
 and perhaps death. The longer I live and have my being in them 
 the more I marvel at the boats and the more confidence I gain. How 
 different it has turned out to that which I was led to expect in those 
 early days of the service when we were all "doing" our M. L. course 
 at one of the bases. Speaking personally those were the days of 
 expectant cold feet, and so much did I hear of the unseaworthiness 
 and general futility of these little craft, that I dreaded the day when 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 23 
 
 I should have to set out on one. Even our instructors used to inform 
 us that with a following sea in the Solent it had been found impossible 
 to steer an M. L., and that they had even tried towing 30 fathoms of 
 a 4-inch rope astern, but apparently without avail. Then we heard 
 a vessel had blown up going round the coast and that the crew had 
 perished miserably in the flames as the burning petrol surrounded 
 them as they swam. This and like harrowing tales were bandied round, 
 but, looking back after this considerable lapse of time, I am inclined 
 to think it was part ignorance and partly a case of bad workmen 
 blaming their tools. ***** 
 
 "\\'e M. L. sailors are specialists. We do things and go out in 
 weather that no sailor, accustomed to ordinary ships, would in his 
 prudent senses attempt unless he had served with understanding in 
 our ships. Some of the most fundamental axioms of seamanship we 
 put aside. Do not the more knowing ones among us invariably clear 
 from a crowded harbor quayside in a tideway by going astern ? Pro- 
 vided she is handled astern and not ahead, in the hands of the artist 
 the M. L. can be made to 'do anything except wait at table,' but who 
 taught the knowing ones this now quite obvious principle but that most 
 excellent of all teachers, practical experience? And indeed it is this 
 teacher that has taught us most of what we know. We have had to 
 
 
 
 
 CHART 
 
 \ 
 
 CD n 
 
 
 HOUSE 
 
 MAST 
 
 3J 
 
 S 
 
 
 o 
 
 o 
 O 
 
 
 
 n u 
 
 
 
 A = FixEiD Iron sle:epc:rs 
 B = Removabli: Ancle. Iron rail. 
 Method of carrying and launching mines from the deck of an M. L. 
 
"You are standing into a minei 
 
Reproduced by permission from "The Sphere.' 
 
 ainting by Norman Wilkinson. R.I. 
 
26 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Reproduced by permission from "The Graphic." 
 The oldest and youngest members of the British ileet. 
 
 find our own way along a thorny path for the most part, with no one 
 to advise us, and at first generally under the orders of someone who, 
 through no fault of his own, had no more idea of what we could do 
 than the man in the moon — in those days we had very little idea 
 ourselves." 
 
 Hunting Submarines 
 
 When used actually to hunt submarines, the little boats of the "Gray 
 Patrol" operated in groups of four, one of which was the flagship. 
 Sometimes they worked out of an important harbor a day at a time, 
 but as often you'd find them 100 miles off shore, for days on end 
 under conditions hitherto considered impossible, and with the small 
 comfort of, say, some Scotch fishing village to return to. For the 
 men stuck off out of touch with civilization for months, the simple 
 every-day things of life took on a totally new significance and the 
 thought of a week in London was a dream comparable only to the 
 orthodox idea of heaven. No wonder the men whose lot it was to 
 hunt the submarines aboard the "movies" became attached to their 
 little ships and the motors that stood by them so gallantly. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 27 
 
 In the work of U-boat strafing the M. L.'s worked frequently with 
 seaplanes and blimps, the small dirigibles which were found to be even 
 better than the planes for spotting the sub-sea fighters. The boats 
 carried no wireless or telephones and depended upon the blinker and 
 semaphore systems for intercommunication. In the event that a 
 blimp or seaplane spotted a sub the information was communicated 
 to the patrol boats by means of smoke bombs. 
 
 The fighting equipment of the M. L. consisted of a short calibre 
 3-inch gun using a shell weighing in the neighborhood of 13 pounds. 
 It was a short gun with a long recoil and while the range was much 
 less than that of a standard Navy gun of the same bore, it required a 
 smaller gun crew and was successful for these small quick-acting 
 vessels on which the abihty to shoot a large shell was more to be 
 desired than range. 
 
 But more important than the deck gun was the depth bomb with 
 which the little fighters put the fear of Gott into the biggest U-boats. 
 This highly-revered shipmate known to our own gobs as the ashcan, 
 contained 250 pounds of T. N. T. and could be set to explode at any 
 predetermined depth. It was the depth bomb that sealed the fate of 
 the submarine. With it, it was not necessary actually to hit the sub- 
 merged target; merely to explode the can within 30 or 40 yards of 
 the sub frequently was sufficient to cause the starting of a seam or 
 the disarrangement of the storage battery or other interial mechanism. 
 
 In order to fight the submarine at close range the early boats 
 carried what were known as lance bombs — 14 pound bombs on the 
 end of 4J^-foot handles. These were designed to be thrown much as 
 an athlete would throw a hammer and, needless to say, they were 
 handled and treated with the utmost reverence. Later they were 
 omitted from the equipment. 
 
 Loaded as the M. L.'s were with enough high explosive to blow a 
 dreadnaught to kingdom come, it is not pleasant to think what would 
 happen and what did happen occasionally when a shot found its 
 mark. "Like Agag," says Lieut. Dawson, "we must go tenderly all 
 our days and not bump too hard lest not only M. L. disappear like 
 the conjuror's cat, in a loud explosion and a pufif of smoke, but also 
 most things within a quarter of a mile's radius." 
 
 All the M. L.'s carried portable directional hydrophones, which were 
 
28 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 29 
 
 Several of the AI. L.'s were fitted with paravanes — the ordinary type for cutting 
 mines adrift: the deadly explosive "Q" type for anti-submarine work, A pair 
 of these most ingenious instruments are shown on either side of the deck. 
 
 sufficiently accurate to enable them to tell within about two degrees 
 the direction of the approach of any sort of vessel and listeners became 
 so proficient that they were able to determine whether the sounds 
 heard were those of a turbine engine, a reciprocating engine, a paddle 
 wheeler, an M. L., a submarine on the surface operating on her 
 Diesel engine or a submarine submerged and driven by her electric 
 motors. These sounds were entirely different and in the confusion 
 caused by several at the same time the listener was trained to eliminate 
 everything but the sound of the submarine. Our own listening devices 
 with which the Submarine Chasers were equipped, were somewhat 
 more elaborate than those of the M. L.'s and will be described later. 
 
 Mine Laying and Sweicping 
 
 Those who had occasion to traverse the war zone during the last 
 two years of the war will remember the varied duties that the M. L.'s 
 were called upon to perform and the remarkable gear with which 
 many of them were equipped. Dubbed the "movies" because of their 
 
30 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 activity in a sea way, the ubiquitous M. L.'s earned the title in a better 
 sense because of their never ending activity in performing all sorts 
 of nasty jobs for which they were never intended. 
 
 Probably one of the last duties one would expect an M. L. to 
 perform is mine sweeping which was generally done by heavily built 
 steel trawlers and paddle-wheelers. But many of the M. L.'s were 
 called upon for this service because of their ability to sweep a channel 
 much faster than the regular sweepers. Frequently they swept in 
 flotillas of four in quarter line formation using the "kite" to hold the 
 sweeping cable extended. At other times the P. V. sweep was used, 
 consisting of a pair of paravanes towed off the quarters. These 
 paravanes or "otters" were much the same as those with which all 
 merchant and naval vessels traversing the war zone were equipped in 
 order to protect them from moored mines. When used for sweeping, 
 the paravanes operated in practically the same way except that they 
 were towed off the quarters instead of off the forefoot, thereby offering 
 no protection to the boat from which they were towed. Extending 
 out at an angle of approximately 45 degrees, the towing cable of the 
 paravane encountered the mooring wire of the mine, deflecting it out 
 to the paravane where it was cut by the steel knives in the head of 
 the latter. After being cut adrift the mine was exploded by gun fire. 
 
 But the ordinary method was the "D" sweep. With this sweep 
 the boats worked in pairs towing a cable one end of which was attached 
 to either boat. The mines were caught by their mooring wires and if 
 not pulled adrift from their mooring, were reeled in and disengaged 
 by hand — a hazardous operation which has resulted in many a casualty. 
 
 When the M. L.'s were designed no one had the slightest idea that 
 they would ever be called upon for the work of mine laying but in the 
 latter months of the war many of them were so engaged. They were 
 fitted with tracks capable of carrying two mines nested in their sinkers 
 on either side, and their operation was something like this : three or 
 four divisions of four would proceed to sea in single line formation 
 having to cover possibly fifty miles before arriving at the mine field, 
 which was indicated by a buoy. After bearings had been taken and 
 the exact position determined, they would proceed in single line 
 ahead until the senior officer's boat arrived at the buoy. Then a 
 signal would be hoisted calling for an eight point turn which would 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 31 
 
 bring the M. L.'s in line abreast at intervals of about 75 feet. A 
 rocket fired by the senior officer was the signal to start to lay, when 
 the forward starboard mine would be dropped. Thirty seconds after 
 the forward port mine went over, then the aft starboard one and then 
 the last one from the port side. In this way a staggered formation 
 was obtained and a flotilla of twenty boats would lay eighty mines 
 in scarcely more than the time it takes to describe the operation. 
 
 The last M. L. carried several buoys which were dropped at the 
 time the mines were laid to indicate the length of the field laid on 
 that trip. 
 
 A Dangerous Game 
 
 We are indebted to Lieut. Morris P. Shea, R. N. V. R., for many 
 interesting facts about the work of the M. L.'s. During the last 
 eight months of the war, Lieut. Shea was in command of one of the 
 M. L.'s working with the British Grand Fleet at Scapa Flow in the 
 Orkney Islands. His work, with that of the other M. L.'s, consisted 
 in patrolling, convoying, running torpedoes for the ships of the fleet 
 and in fact almost any sort of a job which was beneath the dignity 
 of the larger vessels. One of the motor launches was tied for 
 several days to a pier operating its auxiliary engine, furnishing electric 
 light for an air station on one of the islands and also furnishing cur- 
 rent for a movie show to entertain the sailors of the Grand Fleet. 
 
 For a considerable time Shea's M. L. was stationed in a little bay 
 outside the entrance to Scapa Flow harbor where the British fleet, as 
 well as some of the American battleships, lay at anchor. It was ex- 
 pected that sooner or later the Germans would endeavor to break 
 through the nets at the entrance to this harbor. The risk was great 
 but the stakes were high. In order to be prepared for such a raid, 
 the M. L.'s were kept at five minutes' notice for weeks on end and 
 were ordered to sea at any hour of the day or night — sometimes because 
 suspicious craft were heard by the hydrophone listening stations on 
 shore and at other times merely to keep them on the jump and pre- 
 pared for the real thing. 
 
 An interesting stunt and a dangerous one in which Shea partici- 
 pated was pulled off shortly before the armistice was signed. A signal 
 came for his M. L. No. to remain at anchor at a given point 
 
32 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 within shelter of a certain island and to carry out a prearranged pro- 
 gram at eleven o'clock that evening. It was pitch dark. The orders 
 were to proceed at full speed without lights and make for the entrance 
 to Scapa Flow. It must be remembered that the war was very much 
 on at this particular time and this was exactly what it was expected 
 that some daring imterseehoot might attempt at any moment. His 
 job then was to play submarine and endeavor to get as far as the boom 
 without being noticed — scarcely an enviable position at a time when 
 3'our friends are likely to shoot first and investigate afterward. 
 
 The islands round about were equipped with powerful searchlights 
 with watching crews to look for and locate instantly any suspicious 
 craft that might attempt to enter the prohibited area. Any such craft 
 would also be heard by the hydrophone listening stations. 
 
 The orders were to proceed at full speed and not to stop until 
 picked up by the searchlights or fired upon. This he did, zigzagging, 
 stopping, going full speed astern, in order to elude the searching 
 fingers of light that seemed every instant to be on the point of exposing 
 him. Finally a blinding shaft picked up the M. L. and in scarcely a 
 second's time it was the center of two score powerful beams like a 
 brilliant gem in some weird, titanic stage setting. Then when the 
 watchers discovered that they had not bagged a German, the lights went 
 out and the M. L. returned to an extra late supper. 
 
 Such things as those were all in the day's work of the M. L. and 
 many a time the similarity that these little craft bore to a submarine 
 on the surface, accentuated by fog, darkness or the fevered imagina- 
 tions of some high-strung gun crew, drew the fire of their own 
 countrymen — and a brief line in the obituary column. 
 
 Froui "Yadititig Moitt!ily. 
 
Chapter II 
 THE -M. L.'s" AT THE ZEEBRUGGE RAID 
 
 BV all odds the most spectacular and genuinely heroic naval event 
 of the war was the raid which restdted in the blocking of the 
 mouth of the canal at Zeebrugge. This canal which connects 
 Bruges with the coast had long been a base for German submarines. 
 It was of the utmost importance to the Germans, obviating as it did the 
 long run to and from Wilhelmshaven and the other home bases, and 
 consequently it was so thoroughly fortified as to make it supposedly im- 
 mune from attack. But here the German psychology was wrong again 
 for the "conservative" British Admiralty planned or consented to let a 
 group of its officers plan not only to attack Zeebrugge but actually to 
 do the "impossible" stunt of closing the canal by sinking block ships 
 across its entrance, under the concentrated fire of the land batteries. 
 
 It took many months to perfect the plan of attack and during this 
 time the men, who had volunteered for what was explained meant a 
 fifty-fifty chance with death, were trained to the highest ]iitch of 
 efficiency in the parts they were to play in the "big show," and all 
 communication with the outside world was cut oft. After several 
 false starts and long, tense, agonizing flays of A^-aiting, the night of 
 the attack came and just one hundred minutes after the firing of 
 the first shot the flotilla withdrew, leaving the mole and its batteries a 
 total wreck — and two concrete laden block ships sunk across the 
 channel. 
 
 The raid was one of the most audacious of all time and its for- 
 tunate outcome was due largely to the work of the M. L.'s. Everyone 
 knows of the s|)lendid work done by Capt. Carpenter and the crew 
 of the Vindictive as she lay in that inferno alongside the mole, but 
 less loudly sung are the exploits of the little boats that placed the 
 marking flares and made the smoke screen and stood by and removed 
 the crews of the block shi]is after they had been sunk in the channel. 
 
 This tale of the work of the M. L.'s at Zeebrugge has been told 
 admirably bv Lieut. Gordon S. Maxwell, R. N. V. R., who was in 
 
34 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 command of one of them. His story, which appeared originally in the 
 Yachting Monthly of London, follows : 
 
 "On St. George's Day, 1918, Tradition was born to the Royal Naval 
 Reserve. In the early hours of the now famous day the R. N. V. R., 
 represented by a flotilla of motor launches, played an important part 
 in a Naval engagement that thrilled the nations. 
 
 "Of the action in general I do not propose to deal, save so far as 
 concerns the M. L.'s, for the former has already been described : but of 
 the experience of the particular part played by the R. N. V. R. this, 
 I think, is the first account to appear. 
 
 "The worst part of the whole affair was perhaps the waiting — the 
 anticipation of the unknown. Before the action we had two abortive 
 starts, both of which failed to materialise on account of the weather 
 conditions. The ten days that elapsed were trying to the nerves, and 
 we were glad when we had orders to leave harbour. Word quickly 
 circulated that it was to be the real thing this time. The M. L.'s made 
 a fine showing as they left Dover Harbour and formed up ahead. At 
 "A" position, where the other forces joined up, we started in earnest. 
 The destroyer Warwick with Vice- Admiral Keyes on board led. 
 Vindictive came next with Iris and Daffodil in tow. Then came the 
 blockships, Thetis, Intrepid, Iphigenia, Brilliant and Sirius. On each 
 beam of the line were the M. L.'s and, outside, the destroyers. It was 
 an imposing sight in the twilight. Vindictive seemed to loom up 
 above everything else ; she was a weird looking craft with no mast, 
 tall funnels and boarding gangways swung up high upon her port side. 
 
 "At 'D' position Brilliant and Sirius left us for Ostend, while we 
 continued our way to Zeebrugge, each ship going to its appointed 
 station for the attack. As we neared our objective the Huns learned 
 of our approach by aeroplane. Star shells began to go up. They were 
 wonderful star shells, and lit up the sea like day. The last I saw of 
 Vindictive that night was when the first star shell soared above her. 
 There she was, like some grim phantom ship ploughing her way towards 
 the dim outline of the Mole (our smoke screen had already begun), 
 while close behind rounded the squat looking Iris and Daffodil, with 
 all surrounded by M. L.'s and C. M. B.'s. 
 
 "The smoke began to thicken, till finally it blotted out everything in 
 its fumes. Still, the relief when one of those brilliant star shells hit 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 35 
 
 the water and went out was great, for while their light was shining it 
 seemed that every ship approaching the enemy harbour must be an 
 easy mark for the batteries, and it gave one a very "naked" feeling. 
 Thicker and thicker grew the smoke as more floats were dropped. All 
 sight of the Mole and the happenings on and inside it were blotted out 
 from our sight if not from our ears, for we could still hear the guns' 
 incessant roar and the greater single roar that seemed to rend the very 
 night as the old submarine blew herself up to destroy the viaduct 
 connecting the Mole with the shore. 
 
 "The action, from the attack on the Mole by Vindictive to the retire- 
 ment, lasted exactly One Hundred Minutes. During those fatal mo- 
 ments history was made. It is indeed good to hear men say that had 
 it not been for the smoke screen put up by the M. L.'s and C. M. B.'s 
 and the rescue work of the former, the action could never have suc- 
 ceeded ; in fact, could not have been attempted. In this the R. N. 
 have acknowledged our part like sportsmen, and the R. N. V. R. are 
 proud to have had the chance of proving themselves blood brothers to 
 the R. N. One remark, overheard in the Burlington Hotel at Dover, 
 shows how a new feeling towards us has been born. A group of R. N. 
 officers, some from the blockships and some not, were overheard dis- 
 cussing the part played by the M. L.'s, and one said: 'Well, if I ever 
 hear anyone call them Harry Tate's Navy after this, I'll punch his 
 damned head.' And the rest answered in chorus. A casual incident, 
 but one with much behind it. Not that we mind banter, for you will 
 hear more jokes at the expense of M. L.'s on board M. L.'s than any- 
 where else — thank God for a sense of humour. 
 
 "I am saying little about the part played by the 'Hush Boats' 
 (C, M. B.'s), not because their work was not as good as ours (in many 
 ways it was far more wonderful, for, although they have double our 
 speed, they are only half our length and practically open boats), but 
 because I think it better that someone who was on one of the marvellous 
 little boats should write up the 'stunt' from their point of view. Their 
 personnel is, of course, a mixture of R. N., R. N. R., and R. N. V. R. 
 
 "The first two M. L.'s to get inside the Mole were those of Lieut. 
 H. A. Littleton and Lieut. P. T. Deane, and these two boats constitute 
 the keystone of what credit is due to the M. L.'s for their share in the 
 action. The first of the blockships to enter was Thetis. Close on her 
 
36 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 quarter was an M. L. Next came Intrepid, with another M. L., and 
 Iphigenia close behind. Of the other M. L.'s that were designed to 
 enter the enemy harbour one was that of Lieut.-Commander Young, 
 which was sunk before she got in. 
 
 "A very brisk fire was opened on the ships as they came round the 
 end of the Mole through the gap between the barges and the boom 
 to the shore. But the old cruisers plunged on to their objective — the 
 blocking of the entrance to the Bruges Canal — at the same time 
 answering the fire of the shore batteries with their guns. Then Thetis 
 had the bad luck to fall foul of the net boom with her propeller, which 
 left her at the mercy of the guns on shore, so her Commander was 
 forced to sink her where she was, where she would be an obstruction, 
 though not in the spot intended. Heedless of the heavy fire from the 
 shore, Lieut. Littleton closed her in his M. L. and picked up the crew 
 who were already in the boats. When all were aboard he turned to 
 leave the harbour, but just as he did so a shout was heard from behind 
 and some one cried out that a boat-load was coming up from one of the 
 other ships. A begrimed and hatless figure in a duffel coat said, 'Do 
 )'ou mind waiting a moment, I think there are some more men coming?' 
 
 "J^ittleton's answer surprised the Captain : 'You priceless old thing, 
 of course I won't wait for them.' 
 
 "The Captain stared. 
 
 " Til go back for them,' added the 'Doctor,' and right back into that 
 inferno of fire he took his J\I. L., got the crew aboard and turned once 
 more to clear harbour, but stopped yet again to pick up a man who had 
 fallen in the water. With a surplus crew of 60 odd, the M. L. found 
 her way outside the Mole amidst the smoke and trail of shells, to arrive 
 finally at Dover without mishaps save for a machine gun bullet through 
 her after hatch, and a piece of shrapnel through the roof of her 
 bridge house — a wonderful achievement and a wonderful escape. 
 
 "To the number one, Lieut. Lefron Geddes, praise is due for his, 
 untiring efiforts throughout the whole affair, and for seconding his 
 skipper in the rescues anil in the running of the ship under heavy fire, 
 and bringing it safely out of the danger zone, while Lieut. Littleton 
 was doing his best to make the wounded comfortable with the limited 
 accommodation a motor launch affords. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE I'LEET 2,7 
 
 "The rumour that the 'Doctor' put on a clean collar in the mifldle 
 of the action because the 'damned smoke' had soiled the one he was 
 wearing- is, I believe, unfounded, but it is at least characteristic of 
 Lieut. Littleton. He told me afterwards that he had no idea that the 
 dishevelled figure was a hatless 'brass-hat.' He thought he was an 
 A. B. I wonder how he would have looked under normal conditions 
 on being called a 'priceless old thing' by a two-striper R. N. Y. R. 
 
 "Meanwhile Litrepid and Iphigenia were making their way into the 
 mouth of the Bruges Canal, followed by Lieut. Deane in his M. L. His 
 achievement was possibly the most remarkable of any M. L. throughout 
 the action, for he was instrumental in saving over a hundred men from 
 Intrepid and Iphigenia. Curiously enough they managed to get inside 
 the Mole with hardly a shot being fired at them, by using one of the 
 blockships as a screen from the enemy guns. Still following close 
 behind Intrepid and Iphigenia, Lieut. Deane managed to get his boat 
 straight into the mouth of the Bruges Canal, where he waited alongside 
 the western arm while the blockships swung into position, putting up 
 an effective smoke screen which certainly hampered the shore batteries 
 which had by this time transferred their attention from Thetis and 
 were submitting the two ships in the mouth of the canal to a devastating 
 fire. After the explosion which sank the blockships, Lieut. Deane 
 closed them and took off the crew who were already in the boats casting 
 oft'. These he got aboard, and he was just going to leave the harbour 
 when his boat grounded on the sloping side of the canal, damaging her 
 propellers. At the same moment he discovered a Carley float with one 
 man on it, so he went ahead again and took off the occupant, which 
 happened to be the Captain of Intrepid. So intense was the fire all 
 around that the M. L. was forced to back out to save time, and, as 
 this had to be done with damaged propellers, it was certainly a won- 
 derful piece of work, laden as the launch was. It must be remembered 
 that all the while brilliant star shells made the scene as light as day. 
 
 "During the manoeuvre three men on the launch were killed, includ- 
 ing the coxswain at the wheel. Slowly the C. O. brought his vessel 
 round the stern of Thetis, where he managed to turn her and commence 
 the perilous passage out of the harbour, passing the ga]) in the Mole, 
 now clearly visible by the light of the star shells. It says much for the 
 coolness and resource of Lieut. Deane that he conceived the daring 
 
38 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 plan of running his boat close along the Mole wall, thus rendering 
 ineffective many of the larger German guns which could not be de- 
 pressed sufficiently to bear upon him, although of course the mancEuvre 
 did not prevent the heavy machine gun fire being directed on his boat. 
 
 "But just as the M. L. was clearing the harbour, in fact, as she was 
 passing the last of the anchored barges which marked the entrance, 
 a shell from the shore batteries burst over the dinghy and killed 
 several men, and carried the deck pump away, while another hit the 
 forecastle, killing three men and wounding several others. 
 
 "It is certainly a little less than a miracle that the boat managed 
 to get to the open sea at all, for at this point the steering gear jammed, 
 owing to somebody's coat getting entangled in the wire, and several 
 valuable minutes elapsed at this vitally critical juncture before the 
 cause could be discovered and the wires cleared, during which time 
 the boat had to be steered by the engines alone. 
 
 "The behaviour of the Number One, Lieut. Keith Wright, through- 
 out the action deserves the highest praise. Soon after the shell that 
 killed the coxswain had hit the boat, the C. O. sent a message to him 
 from the bridge and received a reply as though nothing had happened. 
 Just as they were clearing harbour he sent again to him, saying that 
 he was wanted on the bridge, but received the answer that Lieut. 
 Wright was busy attending the wounded and could not come. Ever 
 since they had left the Canal entrance Lieut. Wright had been lying 
 on the floor of the Chart House, dangerously wounded and unable to 
 move. He had given strict instructions to the messengers that this 
 fact must be kept from the C. O. until they were clear, in case it might 
 distract his attention from his work and thus add another danger to 
 the boat, so already encompassed by perils. 
 
 "Subsequently Lieut. Deane managed to pick up Warwick and put 
 the rescued crews aboard her, except one or two dead men and one 
 man too seriously wounded to swim, whom he took direct to Deal Pier, 
 where an ambulance had been summoned by wireless. 
 
 "That an M. L., whose full complement is ten men all told, should 
 have been able to get out of harbour with over a hundred men on 
 board, at night, would have been wonderful under peace-time con- 
 ditions, but when we consider that the feat was performed amidst a 
 tornado of gun fire, some idea of the achievement can be imagined, for 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 39 
 
 by the time the Vindictive was clear of the Mole all the attention of 
 the enemy was directed on the M. L. 
 
 "The first R. N. V. R. officer to be killed was the Senior M. L. 
 Officer in the action, Lieut. -Commander Dawbarn Young, who was in 
 command of the first M. L. to approach the Mole with the purpose of 
 laying flares to guide the blockships in. This he was never destined 
 to do, for when he was yet four hundred yards away his bridge was 
 struck with three shells from a shore battery, killing the coxswain 
 instantly and severely wounding Lieut. -Commander Young, Lieut. Lee 
 and members of the crew. Although mortally wounded he stuck to 
 his post and gave orders for the dinghy to be lowered. Lieut. G. F. 
 Bowen, the first Lieutenant of the ship, had perhaps what was one of 
 the most marvellous escapes of the night ; although standing on the 
 bridge close to his C. O. and Lieut. Lee, he escaped without a scratch. 
 Great credit is due to Lieut. Bowen for his coolness at this time, for 
 with the M. L. still under heavy fire, with the help of the unwounded 
 members of the crew he launched the dinghy and managed to get his 
 C. O., who had now collapsed on the deck, into it. When all the rest 
 were aboard, he wrenched off the ship's compass, passed it over, and 
 from the Lewis gun emptied two trays into the already holed hull of 
 the M. L., at the same time smashing her in several places under 
 the water line with an axe, not leaving her until she was settling down 
 by the head. The plight of nine men, many of whom were wounded, 
 in a little tin dinghy in such an inferno could hardly be worse, but they 
 stuck gamely to it. Lieut. Bowen and the chief motor mechanic were 
 the only men in a fit state to row ; all the rest were either badly wounded 
 or prostrated with shock. 
 
 "The circumstances in which Lieut. Lee happened to be on board 
 the M. L. are interesting. He had just arrived at Dover for the 'stunt', 
 to find to his disappointment that his boat was not ready to sail, owing 
 to some important repairs being necessary. Rather than miss the 
 action he obtained permission to go on Lieut.-Commander Young's 
 M. L. as a spare officer. Even now, while they were in the dinghy, 
 Lieut. Lee, though unable to row, refused to be a passenger in spite 
 of his wounds, but held the compass between his knees and with his 
 uninjured hand managed to work an electric torch and set the course. 
 "For about half an hour they toiled on, heading away from the 
 
One of the most audacious adventures in \aval 
 
Reproduced by permission from ''The Graphic' 
 
 on Zeebrugge. Drawn by Charles Dixon, R.I. 
 
42 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Mole with a strong easterly tide. Three C. M. B.'s dashed by, but 
 were lost again in the darkness and smoke before they could hear the 
 hails from the dinghies. Then an M. L., under Lieut. H. W. Adams, 
 loomed up in the gloom and luckily heard the shouts. 
 
 "Lieut. -Commander Young died on the way across. He was con- 
 scious till the last, and wonderfully plucky over his wounds. His left 
 arm and right leg were badly hurt, but it was a gash in his left lung 
 which proved fatal. His death will be a great loss to the R. N. V. R. 
 in general and in particular to the Dover base, where he had been for 
 over two years. Young was a 'white man' ; a mean or lying action 
 was impossible to his nature, and no man ever set or kept a straighter 
 course than he. A most efficient officer and a very hard worker, he 
 expected others to be the same ; but he would never ask a junior officer 
 to do what he would not willingly do himself ; in fact, he often did 
 more work than he need have done in his position, a fact which all 
 who served under him appreciated. I have often heard men say, 'You'll 
 always get a straight deal from Young,' and it was true. He was the 
 essence of fairness in all his dealings. What finer epitaph could he 
 have had than this : — 'We sincerely mourn the loss of a true friend 
 and a very gallant comrade, who died as he would have wished, at 
 his post of duty.' 
 
 "Lieut. Oswald Robinson was the second M. L. officer to be killed. 
 The circumstances were unsimilar to those connected with the death 
 of Lieut. -Commander Young. His boat was hit while off the Mole, 
 and again it was the bridge that was struck, the shell killing the C. O. 
 and the Coxswain instantly. Lieut. Robinson's body was never re- 
 covered ; it must have been blown away. Another incident that was 
 almost the same as that experienced on the first boat to go : Number 
 One, in this case Lieut. J. W. Robinson, was on the bridge at the 
 time the M. L. was hit, but came off unscathed. The dinghy was 
 launched, but before it could be manned, another M. L., under Lieut. 
 R. Saunders, came up from out of the smoke and took them off. Lieut. 
 Oswald Robinson will be missed by all and his cheery personaHty is a 
 great loss to our httle fleet. Only a few days before the action he was 
 one of the principal performers in a concert we got up in the wardroom 
 of Arrogant. He was a wonderfully clever mimic and actor, and his 
 impersonations were the feature of the concert. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 43 
 
 "Some of the M. L.'s had remarkable escapes. One of the nar- 
 rowest was that of the boat under Lieut. -Commander L. S. Chappell, 
 on which the Flag-Captain, Captain R. Collins, R. N., who was in 
 command of the Motor Launch Flotilla, hoisted his flag. Through the 
 hottest part of the action Lieut. -Commander Chappell kept his boat 
 right ofl: the Mole, on the beam of Vindictive, to screen, as much as 
 possible, the latter vessel with his smoke. Every now and then when 
 they came to the end of their short patrol the smoke blew away, 
 exposing them to the full glare of the searchlights from the Mole. 
 The only escape was to turn sixteen points into their own smoke and 
 make their way back and renew the manoeuvre. This the M. L. kept 
 up during the time that the storming party from the Vindictive landed 
 on the Mole, and it undoubtedly saved them from much of the fire 
 from the western shore batteries. It was Captain Collins himself who 
 hailed the blockships during the early part of the action and directed 
 them to the entrance of the enemy harbour, after Lieut. -Commander 
 Young's boat had been sunk, whose duty this was originally. It was 
 during one of the exposed moments that I have mentioned that Lieut. - 
 Commander Chappell's boat had its miraculous escape. A 6-inch shell 
 landed on their magazine hatch, ricochetted on to a box of six-pounder 
 ammunition and blew up the latter without, however, exploding every 
 shell. The iron top of the hatch was blown clean away, but fortunately 
 the explosion expended itself upwards instead of downwards, otherwise 
 nothing could have saved the ship. Some of the cordite from the six- 
 pounder shells exploded in mid-air after the shells had been blown to 
 pieces in a very curious way, for the force of the explosion really burst 
 the shells instead of detonating them in the usual way. The only real 
 damage it did was to set the foredeck on fire, but once again the maga- 
 zine was saved by the quick action of the Number One, Lieut. C. C. 
 Calvin, who extinguished the flames very promptly with pyrene. 
 
 "There were other narrow escapes on M. L.'s that night ; for in- 
 stance, on one a shell fell into the engine room, but did not explode. 
 But it is not possible to narrate every story, or to pretend that this 
 account is that of an eye-witness, the dense artificial fog, or smoke, 
 in which the action took place would render such impossible. As 
 regards the eye-witness point of view, I can speak only of what hap- 
 penerl on my own M. L. Perhaps I am justified in telling the story. 
 
44 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 "We were the most westerly boat of unit 'G,' whose duty it was to 
 find No. 4 buoy previously laid down by a Coastal Motor Boat. This 
 in the darkness, we failed to pick up, so when we considered we were 
 in the approximate position (fairly accurately, we subsequently dis- 
 covered) we dropped our buoy, and stood by as the smoke patrol 
 boats passed us, turned, and disappeared to the eastward. It was a 
 signal for a fresh shower of shrapnel and pompom shells around us, a 
 good deal closer than was pleasant. This gave us an idea. If the 
 Germans liked to fire at us, why shouldn't they, as long as the position 
 of those buoys was where zve wanted them? Accordingly, under cover 
 of the thick pungent smoke, we steamed northwards for a minute and 
 then westward at full speed for two miles, and then, more cautiously, 
 we made our way in-shore. We must have been about five hundred 
 yards or so away, for by the light of the star shells over Zeebrugge 
 we could see the beach and the sandhills plainly. All at once the 
 beams of a powerful searchlight blazed out from the shore and swept 
 about us. At first we were not located, but after a moment they picked 
 us up and then the batteries opened up. A buoy was dropped at once 
 and managed to dodge the beams of the searchlight behind the thick 
 smoke that poured oS. We drew ofif about a quarter of a mile, but 
 the batteries still continued blazing away at the buoy and the search- 
 light was trying to pierce the smoke to discover what was behind the 
 flare. We dropped a second buoy, and about a quarter of a mile further 
 on let go to a third. All these sent up the same bright flare, and a 
 perfect fusillade from the western shore batteries was poured forth at 
 them. We were out to sea again, and as no shots came near us, we 
 waited to note the effect of our little ruse. It certainly seemed to be 
 answering, for we undoubtedly had the Hun guessing. Those lights 
 so close to shore, away from the main operation, evidently puzzled him ; 
 possibly he imagined that something in the nature of a landing was 
 being attempted, but whatever he thought, he certainly wasted a lot 
 of ammunition on nothing, which meant the less for Vindictive along- 
 side the Mole. 
 
 "It appealed to our sense of humour to think that one solitary little 
 M. L., a couple of miles away from its friends and relations, could 
 put the 'wind up' the Hun to that extent. Had we not been getting 
 •short of buoys and in need of what we had left for our correct position, 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 45 
 
 we should have been tempted to repeat the experiment, but we steamed 
 back to our original place in the line and carried on smoking till the 
 time for the retirement. But we had nothing much nearer us, beyond 
 stray shots. I think the western batteries were still waiting for the 
 fictitious landing party somewhere Blankenherge way. Credit for the 
 success of our run is very largely due to my Number One, Lieut. 
 Gordon Ross, who carried on during the whole action with a broken 
 finger, superintending and assisting in the dropping of the buoys, no 
 light articles, and awkward to handle on the narrow gangways of 
 an J\I. L. 
 
 "On our way to the rendezvous we waited for about half an hour 
 oft Zeebrugge in case we could be of assistance to any men or vessels 
 in distress. Vindictive, Iris and Daffodil we knew had gone, for they 
 were working to a schedule of time, but we saw nothing, though we 
 kept a good look out for pursuing German craft. Apparently none 
 came out. I think they were too rattled, and too thankful that the 
 British had done, to worry about pursuit. 
 
 "Then full speed for the rendezvous, but there were no ships there. 
 And so on, still full speed, for Dover. I shall never forget that run, 
 tearing through the blackness of night 'all out.' i\bout half way we 
 had a bit of excitement, a dark shape was sighted upon our port bow ; 
 it was a ship of sorts and looked very like a submarine. We chal- 
 lenged it at once, and by its reply we knew it to be a friend, so we 
 closed it and discovered that it was an ^I. L., curiously enough one of 
 our own unit. They also had seen no one since leaving Zeebrugge, so 
 we sped on in the darkness together. When dawn broke we were still 
 out of sight of land and a slight haze on the water made visibility bad. 
 The first thing we picked up was a wreck on the Goodwin Sands, 
 which loomed up out of the mist rather nearer than we thought our- 
 selves to be. Soon the white line of breakers warned us that we must 
 alter our course to the northward. We reached Dover Harbour just 
 as Vindictive had entered. That entry will be in my mind for ever. 
 About six j\l. L.'s were converging out of the fast clearing mist, and I 
 am afraid we all raced for the western entrance. Our ship won ; and 
 had the honour of being the first M. L. to enter harbour from the 
 Zeebrugge action. 
 
 "Then came ^\■hat was to me the most stirring part of the whole 
 
46 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 affair. As the six M. L.'s passed Vindictive, battle-scarred and cov- 
 ered with the signs of her wonderful fight, all eyes were turned upon 
 her and the men who thronged her deck. Then those men, remnants 
 of the landing part}' and the ship's company, each of whom deserved the 
 V. C, waved their caps and cheered again and again as the M. L.'s 
 steamed slowly past. We could scarcely believe our ears that these 
 men, whom we felt we ought to be cheering, actually got in first with 
 a cheer for the M. L.'s who had helped them in their wonderful 
 achievement. 
 
 "That cheer went home straight to the heart, and its echoes will 
 sound there till my dying day. Our little ships' companies replied 
 lustily and our sirens added their voices. But to be cheered first — well, 
 I am not ashamed to own that a lump came into my throat. To lead 
 the first M. L.'s into harbour from Zeebrugge and to be cheered by 
 Vindictive's crew — it seems like a dream now that I look back upon it. 
 
 "During the next few hours the M. L.'s returned to port in driblets, 
 some bearing the marks of their narrow escapes from enemy gun fire 
 or collision in the fog. These hours were anxious ones for us, waiting 
 to learn who was safe and who had fallen. At length all had returned 
 but two, and of these two we had received reports of their loss. Then 
 we knew the fate of all who had gone into action with us. The feeling 
 in our hearts was mixed ; genuine sorrow for the good comrades who 
 had made the Great Sacrifice and thankfulness at our own escapes, 
 and, being human, a certain amount of pride that we had helped in an 
 action that will live in History." 
 
 Reproduced by permission from "The Graphic." 
 
 The M. L.'s placing guiding flares and screening the larger vessels with an 
 
 artificial fog. 
 
Chapter III 
 THE "MOVIES" AT OSTEND 
 
 SIMULTANEOUSLY with the attack on Zeebrugge, there was 
 launched a similar raid on Ostend, at which point the other end 
 of the Bruges Canal furnished a second convenient haven for the 
 German subs, and while this ofifensive was destined to meet with less 
 success than that at Zeebrugge, the M. L.'s carried off their part of 
 the program just as efficiently. 
 
 The block ships "Brilliant" and "Sirius" were unsuccessful in 
 reaching the mouth of the canal, but the work of rescuing their crews 
 was accomplished by the M. L.'s under conditions just as harrowing as 
 those at Zeebrugge. To be sure there was no breakwater to negotiate, 
 but, on the other hand, there was no landing party to divert the fire 
 of the enemy, which was concentrated on the blockships and their 
 tiny escort. 
 
 The motor launches were under the command of Commodore Herbert 
 Lynes but the organization of the flotilla at this engagement as well as 
 Zeebrugge was the work of Capt. Hamilton Benn, D. S. O., R. N. V. R., 
 who led them into action. 
 
 The failure of the blockships to find the narrow entrance to the 
 canal on the night of April 22d was due to the shifting by the Germans 
 of the buoy off the entrance and to the fact that a last minute shift 
 of wind carried the smoke screen landward across the mouth of the 
 harbor, obscuring it from view. Both block ships were lost after a 
 liot engagement during which they returned the enemy's fire until 
 practically shot to pieces, but their crews were rescued and returned 
 to Dunkirk in safety. 
 
 A second and more successful effort to block Ostend harbor was 
 carried out on the night of May 9th. The story of this "pukka show" 
 as the "limies" themselves would call it, has been told by S. M. R. in 
 The Yachting Monthly, and is in part as follows : 
 
 "The first daring stroke failed to block the harbor and the Sirius 
 lies in the surf some two thousand yards east of the entrance, which 
 the old war ship gallantly failed to obstruct, and when in the early 
 
48 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 hours of morning the battle scarred \'indictive groped her way through 
 the smoke screen and headed for the entrance it needed but httle 
 imagination to picture the old fighting ship awake and looking on. One 
 of the M. L.'s had visited her and hung a flare in her slack and rusty 
 rigging, and that eye of unsteady fire, paling in the blaze of the star 
 shells or reddening through the drift of the smoke, watched the whole 
 great enterprise from the moment when it hung in doubt to its ulti- 
 mate trivmiphant success. 
 
 "The main problem now was to secure the effect of a surprise 
 attack upon an enemy who was clearly from his ascertained disposi- 
 tions, expecting him. The Sirius and the Brilliant had been baffled by 
 the displacement of the Stroom Bank buoy, which marks the channel 
 to the harbor entrance, but since then aerial reconnaissance had estab- 
 lished that the Germans had removed the buoy altogether and that there 
 were now no guiding marks of any kind. They had also cut gaps 
 in the piers as a precaution against a landing, and further when toward 
 midnight on Thursday the ships moved from their anchorage it was 
 known that some nine German destroyers were out and at large on 
 the coast. 
 
 "It was a night that ])romised well for the enterprise — nearly wind- 
 less, and what little breeze stirred came from a point or so west of 
 north ; a sky of lead blue, faintly star dotted, and no moon ; a still sea 
 for the small craft, the motor launches and the coastal motor boats. 
 
 "From the destroyer which served the Commodore for flagship the 
 remainder of the force was visible only as swift silhouettes of black- 
 ness, destroyers bulking like cruisers in the darkness, motor launches 
 like destroyers, and coastal motorboats showing themselves as racing 
 hillocks of foam. From Dunkirk a sudden and brief flurry of gunfire 
 announced that German airplanes were about — they were actually on 
 their way to visit Calais — and over the invisible coast of Flanders the 
 summer lightning of the restless artillery rose and fell monotonously. 
 
 " 'There's the Vindictive !' " 
 
 "The muffled seamen and marines standing by the torpedo tubes 
 and guns turned at that name to gaze at the great black ship, seen 
 mistily through the streaming smoke from the destroyer's funnels, 
 plodding silently to her goal and her end. Photographs have made 
 familiar that high side profile and the tall funnels with their Zeebrugge 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 49 
 
 scars, always with a background of the pier at Dover against which 
 she lay to be fitted for her task. Now there was added to her the 
 environment of the night and the sea and the greatness and tragedy 
 of her mission. 
 
 "She receded into the night astern as the destroyer raced on to 
 lay the light buoy that was to be her guide, and those on board saw 
 her no more. She passed thence into the hands of the small craft, 
 whose mission it was to guide her, light her and hide her in the clouds 
 of the smoke screen. 
 
 '"There was no preliminary bombardment of the harbor and the 
 batteries as before the previous attempt ; that was to be the first ele- 
 ment in the surprise. A time table had been laid for every stage of the 
 operation and the staff work beforehand had even included precise 
 orders for the laying of the smoke barrage with plans calculated for 
 every direction of wind. The monitors, anchored in their firing posi- 
 tion far to seaward, awaited their signal ; the great siege batteries of 
 the Royal Marine Artillery in Flanders, among the largest guns that 
 have ever been placed on land mountings, stood by likewise to neutralize 
 the big German artillery along the coast and the airmen who were to 
 collaborate with an aerial bombardment of the town waited somewhere 
 in the darkness overhead. The destroyers patrolled to seaward of the 
 small craft. 
 
 "The Vindictive, always at that solemn gait of hers, found the 
 flagship's light buoy and bore up for where a coastal motor boat, com- 
 manded by Lieut. Slayter, R. N., was waiting by a calcium flare upon 
 the old position of the Stroom Bank buoy. Four minutes before she 
 arrived there and fifteen minutes only before she was due at the harbor 
 mouth, the signal for the guns to open was given. 
 
 "Two motor boats under Lieut. Reid, R. N. R., and Lieut. Poland, 
 R. N., dashed in toward the ends of the high wooden piers and tor- 
 pedoed them. There was a machine gun on the end of the western 
 pier and that vanished in the roar and the leap of flame and debris 
 which called to the guns. Over the town a flame suddenly appeared 
 high in air and sank slowly earthwards, the signal that the airplanes 
 had seen and understood, and almost coincident with their first bombs 
 came the first shells whooping up from the monitors at sea. The 
 
so THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 surprise part of the attack was sprung. The surprise, despite the Ger- 
 man's watchfulness, seems to have been complete. 
 
 "Up to the moment when the torpedoes of the motor boats exploded 
 there had not been a shot from the land — only occasional routine star 
 shells. The motor launches were doing their work magnificently. These 
 pocket warships, manned by officers and men of the Royal Naval Vol- 
 unteer Reserve, are specialists at smoke production. They built to 
 either hand of the Vindictive's course the likeness of a dense sea 
 mist driving landward with the wind. The star shells paled and were 
 lost as they sank in it ; the beams of the searchlights seemed to break 
 off short upon its front. It blinded the observers of the great batteries, 
 when suddenly, upon the warning of the explosions, the guns roared 
 into action. 
 
 "There was a while of tremendous uproar. The coast about Ostend 
 is ponderously equipped with batteries, each with its name known and 
 identified — Tirpitz, Hindenburg, Deutschland, Cecilia and the rest. 
 They register from six inches up to monsters of fifteen-inch naval 
 pieces in land turrets, and the Royal Marine Artillery fights a war 
 long duel with them. These now opened fire into the smoke and over 
 it at the monitors. The marines and the monitors replied. Mean- 
 while the airplanes were bombing methodically and the anti-aircraft 
 guns were searching the skies for them. Star shells spouted up and 
 floated down, lighting the smoke banks with spreading green fires, and 
 these strings of luminous green balls, which airmen call "flaming 
 onions," soared up to lose themselves in the clouds. Through all this 
 stridency and blaze of conflict the old Vindictive, still unhurrying, was 
 walking the lighted waters toward the entrance. 
 
 "It was then that those on the destroyers became aware that what 
 had seemed to be merely smoke was wet and cold, that the rigging was 
 beginning to drip, that there were no longer any stars — a sea fog had 
 come on. 
 
 "The destroyers had to turn on their lights and use their sirens to 
 keep in touch with each other. The air attack was suspended and the 
 Vindictive, with some distance yet to go, found herself in gross 
 darkness. 
 
 "There were motor boats to either side of her, escorting her to 
 the entrance, and these were supplied with what are called Dover 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET SI 
 
 flares — enormous lights capable of illuminating- square miles of sea 
 at once. A Very pistol was fired as a signal to light these, but the fog 
 and the smoke together were too dense for even the flares. The 
 Vindictive put her helm over and started to cruise to find the entrance. 
 Twice in her wanderings she must have passed across it and at her 
 third turn, upon reaching the position at which she had first lost her 
 way, there came a rift in the mist and she saw the entrance clear, the 
 piers to either side and the opening dead ahead. 
 
 "The inevitable motor boat dashed up (No. 23, commanded by 
 acting Lieut. Guy L. Cockburn, R. N.), raced on into the opening 
 under a heavy and momentarily growing fire, and planted a flare 
 on the water between the piers. The Vindictive steamed over it and 
 on. She was in. 
 
 "The guns found her at once. She was hit every few seconds after 
 she entered, her scarred hull broken afresh in a score of places and 
 her decks and upper works swept. 
 
 "The machine gun on the end of the western pier had been put out 
 of action by the motor boat's torpedo, but from other machine guns at 
 the inshore ends of the pier, from a position on the front and from 
 machine guns apparently firing over the eastern pier, there converged 
 upon her a hail of lead. The after control was demolished by a 
 shell which killed all its occupants, including Sub-Lieut. MacLachlan, 
 who was in command of it. Upper and lower bridges and chart room 
 were swept by bullets, and Commander Godsal, R. N., ordered his 
 officers to go with him to the conning tower. 
 
 "There they observed that the eastern pier was breached some 200 
 yards from its seaward end, as though at some time a ship had been 
 in collision with it. They saw the front of the town silhouetted again 
 and again in the light of the guns that blazed at them ; the night was a 
 patchwork of fire and darkness. 
 
 "Immediately after passing the breach in the pier Commander 
 Godsal left the conning tower and went out on deck, the better to 
 watch the ship's movements. He chose his position and called in 
 through the slit in the conning tower his order to starboard the helm. 
 The Vindictive responded. He laid her battered nose to the eastern 
 pier and prepared to swing her 320 feet of length across the channel. 
 
 "It was at that moment that a shell from the shore batteries struck 
 
52 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 the conning tower. Lieut. Sir John Alleyne and Lieut. V. A. C. 
 Crutchley, R. N., were still within. Commander Godsal was close to 
 the tower outside. Lieut. Alleyne was stunned by the shock. Lieut. 
 Crutchley shouted through the slit to the Commander, and receiving 
 no answer rang the port engine full speed astern to help in swinging 
 the ship. 
 
 "By this time she was lying at an angle of about 40 degrees to the 
 pier and seemed to be hard and fast, so it was impossible to bring her 
 further round. After working the engines for some minutes to no 
 effect Lieut. Crutchley gave the order to clear the engine room and 
 abandon ship, according to the programme previously laid down. 
 
 "Engineer Lieutenant Commander Bury, who was the last to leave 
 the engine room, blew the main charges by the switch installed aft. 
 Lieut. Crutchley blew the auxiliary charges in the forward six-inch 
 magazine from the conning tower. Those on board felt the old ship 
 shrug as the explosive tore the bottom plates and the bulkheads from 
 her. She sank about six feet and lay upon the bottom of the 
 channel. Her work was done. 
 
 "Most of the casualties were incurred while the ship was being 
 abandoned. The men behaved with just that cheery discipline and 
 courage which distinguished them in the Zeebrugge raid. Petty Officer 
 Reed found Lieut. Alleyne in the conning tower, still unconscious, and 
 carried him aft under a storm of fire from the machine guns. Lieut. 
 Alleyne was badly hit before he could be got over the side and fell into 
 the water. Here he managed to catch hold of a boat fall, and a motor 
 launch under Lieut. Bourke, R. N. V. R., succeeded in rescuing him and 
 two other wounded men. 
 
 "The remainder of the crew were taken off by Motor Launch 2.54, 
 under Lieut. Drummond, R. N. V. R., under a fierce fire. When finally 
 he reached the Warwick the launch was practically in a sinking condi- 
 tion. Her bows were shot to pieces. Lieut. Drummond was himself 
 severely wounded. His second in command, Lieut. Ross, R. N. V. R., 
 and one hand were killed. A number of others were wounded. The 
 launch was found to be too damaged to tow and day was breaking. 
 
 "She and the Warwick were in easy range of the forts, so as soon 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 53 
 
 as her crew and the Vindictive's survivors were transferreid a demo- 
 lition charge was placed in her engine room and she was sunk. 
 
 "Always according to programme, the recall rockets for the small 
 craft were fired from the flagship at 2 :30 a. m. The great red rockets 
 whizzed up to lose themselves in the fog. They could not have been 
 visible half a mile away, but the work was done and one by one the 
 launches and motor boats commenced to appear from the fog, stopped 
 their engines alongside the destroyers and exchanged news with them. 
 
 "There were wounded men to be transferred and dead men to be 
 reported, their names called briefly across the water from the little 
 swaying deck to the crowded rail above. But no one had seen a single 
 enemy craft. The nine German destroyers who were out and free 
 to fight had chosen the discreeter part." 
 
 ■ ^ 1 
 
 # '^^^ ^. 
 
 Rcproduccii by fcnnission from " The (.. 
 The M. L.'s at O^tend rescuing the crews of the blocking ships. 
 
 
54 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 THE SONG OF THE "SEA SLUGS" 
 
 (Anonymous) 
 
 Sing me a song of a frail M. L. 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 Rolling about in an oily swell, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 Out on a high explosive spree, 
 Petrol, Lydite, and T. N. T., 
 Looking for U-Boat 303, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
 Sing me a song of a bold young "Lieut." 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 Two gold bands on an "Owed for suit," 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 Ship the cable and full ahead, 
 
 Hard a starboard and heave the lead, 
 
 The detonators are in my bed, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
 Sing me a song of a bright young "Sub." 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 A terribly ignorant half-baked cub. 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 Of the King's Regulations he knows not one, 
 He has left undone what he ought to have done, 
 And Oh! My Lord, when he fires that Gun, 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
 Sing me a song of a CMB (Engineer), 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 Bred in a garage and sent to sea, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 Taken away from the motor trade, 
 
 Seasick, sorry and sore dismayed. 
 
 But a hell of a "Knut" on the Grand Parade, 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
 Sing me a song of the M. L. Cook, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 With a Petrol stove in a greasy nook, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 Our meals a lukewarm lingering death. 
 We'll praise the Hun with our final breath 
 If he'll strafe our Galley and slay our Chef, 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
 Sing me a song of a North Sea Base, 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 A dirty forgotten one horse place, 
 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us; 
 
 When the wind blows West how brave we are! 
 
 When the wind blows East, it's different far, 
 
 We wish we were back in the Harbour Bar, 
 May the Lord have mercy upon us. 
 
Part II 
 
 The American Submarine Chasers 
 
56 
 
 THE CliXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 
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Chapter I\' 
 THE AMERICAN SUBMARINE CHASERS. 
 
 IT was not until the summer of 1!)1G that our own Navy Depart- 
 ment began to display an interest in the submarine swatter idea, 
 
 which the Allied Powers were taking so seriously. The poten- 
 tial value of a vast fleet of privately owned yachts and motor craft 
 as auxiliaries to the Navy in the event of war was appreciated, of 
 course, as it had been by both England and Germany at the outbreak 
 of hostilities, and for this reason the Department authorized and 
 solicited the cooperation of the yachtsmen of the country in the civilian 
 cruises and the accompanying maneuvres for motor boats. Further- 
 more, the Navy Department, realizing that much could be learned tr(im 
 the architects who had specialized in this type of boat, solicited sug- 
 gestions in the form of designs for motor boats which would be suit- 
 able for conversion for the use of the Navy, and actually ordered two 
 boats as an example to patriotic yachtsmen who might wish to build. 
 But little else was done until the war was actually upon us. 
 
 Then all at once we became uncomfortably conscious of our long 
 and unprotected coast line, the vulnerability of which already had 
 been forcefully demonstrated by the arrival of the "Deutchland" and 
 the escapade of the "U-53." Our venerable confidence in our ability 
 to take down the old musket from its peg on the wall, if the occasion 
 actually demanded it, and walk out and chasten the world, depending 
 rather on American nerve than on any equipment or preparation in 
 particular, was suffering a rude awakening. We thought of our de- 
 stroyers. They were few. We ordered many more of them. \A'hen 
 would they be completed? In two years at the earliest. 
 
 We were inclined to put our trust in destroyers when it came to 
 such a job as hunting submarines — that is, the Navy was. But from 
 the first of the World War there were tho.se who believed that the de- 
 stroyer was not the final solution to the problem. Those of us whose 
 business and hobby it was to know small boats raised our voices in 
 behalf of them. We preached motor boats, we wrote, we painted, we 
 did everything but sing our l)elief in them and finally the idea that 
 
58 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 The steel bulkheads were set up on the keelson and used as molds. 
 
 had got across to England and France and Italy and even to Russia 
 began to "get across" over here. 
 
 Destroyers, bully boats that they are, cost a million apiece and 
 could not be built in a hurry. Submarines were a prolific breed, multi- 
 plying with incredible rapidity, and at this stage of the game Germany 
 was placing her hope of victory more and more in her unterseeboots 
 and every available yard was given over to the fabrication of super- 
 subs capable of crossing the Atlantic and returning to their bases on 
 a single fueling. These boats were carrying their "war" over an ever- 
 increasing area and since it seemed to be the accepted policy to pursue 
 the individual hornet over a great part of the North Atlantic and the 
 Mediterranean instead of attempting to burn out his nests, it became 
 evident that a few score destroyers were not a drop in the bucket. 
 
 What was needed for this work was an immense fleet of small, 
 quickly built, easily manoeuvered vessels, with power plants that could 
 be shut down instantly in order to use the newly developed listening 
 devices, and started again time and again without end — a thing well 
 nigh impossible with a destroyer. It was obvious that a dozen such 
 vessels, even with lighter guns, stood a better chance in the game of 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 59 
 
 submarine hunting than a single destroyer at the same cost. With the 
 advent of the depth bomb for destroying the submerged sub, the 
 superiority of a vast Heel of small boats was even more apparent. 
 
 By this time reports of the performance of the M. L.'s on the other 
 side began to come in. These reports varied widely according to who 
 made them, but the consensus of opinion seemed to be that they al- 
 ready were doing a great deal more than justifying their existence. 
 And so it was that the Navy Department turned its attention to the 
 design of a suitable type of boat. The officials of the Standard Motor 
 Construction Company were sent for by the Secretary of the Navy 
 and were informed that the company's cooperation in this emergency 
 was desired. The Navy's requirements were met at a lower cost than 
 had been expected and a guarantee was given to supply the motors at 
 a rate to keep pace with the building of the boats. 
 
 A^^ith the problem of the propelling machinery out of the way, the 
 next question was that of the most suitable type and size of hull to 
 meet the conditions under which the boats would be called upon to 
 operate. Mr. A. Loring Swasey, a naval architect of broad experi- 
 ence in the design of motor driven craft was summoned to cooperate 
 with the Bureau of Construction and Repair and the design of the 
 110-foot Submarine Chaser was the result. 
 
 The early idea had been that a submarine chaser should be very 
 fast above all else, but as the submarine developed and enlarged its 
 field of operation, necessitating a real sea-going type of chaser, ex- 
 treme speed was no longer considered worth the price in comfort and 
 seaworthiness that must be paid for its attainment. Another idea dear 
 to the hearts of the newspaper writers was that the boats should be 
 very shoal of draft so as to be immune from torpedo attack. And less 
 importance was placed on armament for it was popularly supposed 
 that any old sort of a shooting iron would do to pop the periscope 
 of a defenseless U-boat. 
 
 Then when it was appreciated that extreme speed and shoal draft 
 were more a talking point than anything else, and when it was seen 
 that the submarine was no longer a defenseless, vulnerable thing, but 
 had become an armed and armored fighter, the demand was for larger 
 boats that could mount a sizable gun and that would be liveable pos- 
 sibly for many days on end. 
 
60 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Motors installed and ready for the decks. 
 
 Now it is not necessary to employ the same extreme form to attain 
 a given speed with a large boat that it is with a small one. Take for 
 instance the V-bottom form developed by William H. Hand, Jr., a 
 form of unchallenged merit for fast boats up to a moderate size. 
 Mr. George Crouch has found that the critical speed at which the V- 
 bottom form becomes more efficient than a well-designed hull with 
 round bilges is in miles per hour numerically equal to four times the 
 square root of the length in feet. That is to say 20 miles an hour for 
 a 35-footer and 40 miles an hour for a 100-footer. 
 
 For sea work there are several well defined requirements. What 
 is necessary is a generous under-water body of a shape with plenty of 
 deadrise, that is, wedge-shaped in section rather than flat or round. 
 The hull should not be designed as were those of the M. L.'s and 
 most of our so-called express cruisers, with a broad, flat after body 
 or run and fine waterlines at the bow. It is obvious that the great bulk 
 aft and the lack of it forward make for erratic action in a following 
 sea when the stern is lifted bodily and the bow depressed. More or 
 less symmetrical ends are desirable. 
 
 Then again the pronounced hollow flare or flam that many de- 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 61 
 
 signers work into the topsides at the bow is of more use in throwing 
 off spray than in keeping the bow from rooting. The normal flare, 
 like that say of the whaleboat, is a type unsurpassed for sea work 
 since the time when the Vikings braved the Western Ocean. And 
 that is just about what the design of the 110-footers amounts to — a 
 big whaleboat cut oft' at the waterline aft. Incidentally, this form of 
 hull is extremely easy to drive at moderate speeds and it is seldom 
 that the condition of the sea will permit a small boat to be driven at 
 anything more than moderate speeds. 
 
 This type of boat, the lines of which appear on another page, was 
 unlike anything hitherto turned out by the Navy and, as was to l)e 
 expected, it caused a storm of criticism from the battle wagon men. 
 Even the people who professed to know small boats took a shot at it, 
 for it was just as unlike any yacht or motor boat of its size as it was 
 unlike any naval vessel existing or extinct. The remarkable speeds 
 attained by our hydroplanes and our express cruisers in smooth water, 
 not to mention the pseudo-scientific Sunday supplement, were re- 
 sponsible for the popular belief that boats for hunting submarines 
 should be able to clip oft' at least thirty or forty knots. Therefore 
 when it was announced that the new Chasers would do sixteen or 
 seventeen at the outside, the public was disappointed. 
 
 But the Bureau of Construction and Repair had confidence in the 
 design and went ahead with preparations to have the boats built. In- 
 stead of concentrating the job at a single huge plant, it was decided 
 to build the boats in the existing boat building yards all over the coun- 
 try, a plan that at first glance seemed doomed to failure. That it did 
 not fail but proved just about as successful as any program this country 
 put through during the war, not only speaks volumes for the Bureau 
 but also is a flattering commentary on the American Boat Building 
 Industry. 
 
 The motor used in the American Submarine Chasers, like that 
 of the British M. L.'s, is a stock model made by the Standard 
 Motor Construction Company of Jersey City, N. J. The job of 
 producing all these motors was tremendous even with the best of 
 modern production methods. In a little over three years the Standard 
 Motor Construction Company delivered about 700,000 b.hp. of this 
 model alone. That is enough power to drive 25 of the large super- 
 
62 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Three of these 220-horse Standard motors were installed in every Chaser and 
 the production of engines kept pace with the completion of the hulls. 
 
 dreadnaughts like the Arkansas; more than will be needed for our 
 proposed battleship program for the next three years. It is only by 
 making such a comparison that the size of this submarine chaser un- 
 dertaking is comprehended. We may well be proud of such a showing 
 
 SEAWORTHINESS 
 
 To illustrate the remarkable seaworthiness of the Submarine 
 Chasers, I am going to chronicle the story told me by an S. C. skipper, 
 who knows the Chasers from truck to keel. He has taken his boat 
 across the Atlantic and back again, not to mention numerous convoying 
 expeditions to Bermuda and this is the account of the particular party 
 that he considers the most strenuous of all his experiences. Here it is : 
 
 It was in June, 1918, while returning to Norfolk after escorting 
 troop transports through the danger zone that we were caught in a 
 nasty bit of weather. We were probably 150 miles out and were headed 
 for Cape Charles lightship, averaging 10 knots, when the weather 
 began to thicken. It blew up from the southeast, with light rain squalls, 
 and the barometer gave every indication of approaching bad weather. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 63 
 
 The fact that the entire fleet of eighteen Chasers had only just enough 
 fuel to reach port, did not add to our peace of mind. 
 
 About six in the evening it began to blow great guns, with fog and 
 rain, which meant that it was next to impossible to maintain any sort 
 of position. Luckily we had the wind on our quarter, so that we rode 
 easily and made fairly good time. As the night wore on the wind 
 stiffened with incessant rain and hail squalls. We were leading one 
 column and had an awful job maintaining position on the destroyer 
 that commanded the fleet, but we managed to do it, although none of 
 us showed lights. 
 
 About four in the morning it was blowing a good 75 miles an hour 
 and was so thick that the fleet became badly scattered. Measuring my 
 gas tanks, I found I had about three hours' fuel left, and so I dumped 
 twenty gallons of kerosene — all that I had aboard — into the tanks in 
 hopes that this would take us in. 
 
 At six o'clock, as we had not picked up the lightship, I thought it 
 best to take a sounding, and got thirteen fathoms. A half hour later 
 we sounded again and got twelve. By this time the destroyer had 
 disappeared entirely, and I decided to run due south in the hope of 
 clearing Cape Charles and picking up Cape Henry. The seas were 
 breaking clear over us, and as we were running on only one engine, to 
 save fuel, I found it impossible to control the vessel. We kept falling 
 off into the trough, and upon taking another sounding, we found only 
 nine fathoms, which accounted for the nasty character of the seas. 
 They were treacherous seas and seemed to break clear from the bottom 
 with crests that smothered us every time they broke. 
 
 Between waves I managed to get a few men out of the fo'csle, who, 
 with lines lashed to their waists, began the almost impossible task of 
 getting out additional cable. It was my plan to shackle on a seventy 
 fathom chain to a sixty fathom towing hawser, then to anchor and ride 
 it out. 
 
 Just then there occurred the most remarkable roll I have ever seen 
 a Chaser indulge in. A breaking sea slapped us onto our beam ends 
 and before we could recover, a second big comber caught us just right 
 and from my position in the pilot house I saw the entire ship disappear 
 beneath the water. Down and down we went until I seemed to be 
 lying flat on my back against the cabin side where a second before I was 
 
64 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 A Chaser is about the size of a modern Gloucester iishing schooner with some 
 of the latter's good points. 
 
 Standing upright. One man on the lee side of the bridge touched the 
 water. A spy glass, which was kept on a shelf on the weather side of 
 the pilot house, fell through the intervening space and out the opposite 
 window which, when on an even keel, was higher than the shelf. 
 Then the motor stalled and I received the cheerful word that there 
 was three feet of water in the engine room, which had come through 
 the cowls of the ventilators. 
 
 Finally we righted, and how the one man in the engine room ever 
 did the trick, I don't know, but in a few seconds we were chugging 
 fchead again with the deck swept clean of every piece of gear. 
 
 Fortunately the destroyer hove into view just at this time, and 
 after finding out that we had barely an hour's fuel left, she took us 
 in tow. The job of passing a line and hauling in that nine-inch towing 
 hawser seems impossible now, but it was finally accomplished, although 
 for every man who hauled another was necessary to keep him from 
 being swept overboard, and all of us worked in water up to our waists. 
 
 Once in tow, we were better off and in a few hours' time made 
 Hampton Roads. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 65 
 
 Some of the other Chasers fared worse than we did. Some had 
 men swept away, never to be seen again, but one by one they all made 
 port. Below decks every boat was a wreck. Galley stoves, mess 
 tables, bunks, everything, wrenched from its moorings and smashed 
 to kindling, but the hulls and the motors stood the gafif and not a 
 boat reported serious damage. Big ships were lost in that storm, 
 ocean-going tugs foundered, steamers grounded, but the 110-foot bottles 
 were well corked and although they disappeared from view time and 
 agam in the terrible breaking seas, which were infinitely worse than 
 anything experienced in deep water, they never failed to come up. 
 They proved that day that they could live through anything. 
 
 To Secretary Daniels, Assistant Secretary Roosevelt, Admirals Griffin 
 and Taylor, and to other high officials of the Navy Department must 
 go the credit for open mindedness and imagination enough to foresee 
 the possibilities of a type of vessel for which there was no precedent. 
 To Commander J. A. Furer, under whose immediate charge the build- 
 ing program was carried out, to Commander Joe Fisher, in charge of 
 powering the little vessels, and to Lieut. Commander A. Loring Swasey, 
 U. S. N. R. F., who collaborated with the Bureau of Construction and 
 Repair in designing them and who had charge of building most of 
 them, particular credit must be given. But even with an excellent de- 
 sign and the brains to organize the work of production, few of the boats 
 would have been completed on time had it not been for the untiring 
 efforts of the corps of inspectors drawn from the motor boat industry, 
 who directed the work where direction was needed, smoothing out 
 apparently insurmountable difficulties with their admirable enthusiasm. 
 From the Chief Constructor to the thousands of workmen engaged on 
 the job, this organization functioned with an enthusiasm, a lack of 
 self-interest, an esprit de corps that was nothing short of magnificent. 
 
 Tale after tale might be written of the difficulties encountered and 
 overcome in the building and delivering the boats on time — stories that 
 prove that the fighting of the war was not all on the other side of the 
 Atlantic. Here is one; Eight of the boats built at Kingston, a 
 hundred miles or so up the Hudson River from New York, were 
 caught by the early freeze-up of 1917 that locked the river tighter 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 A completed Chdber waiting her turn at the launchniJ wajs 
 
 than it had been locked within the memory of the oldest inhabitant. 
 Twelve-inch ice paralyzed navigation — but the boats were needed. 
 
 It looked like a big delay, but at the command of the New York 
 office an utterly unprecedented thing was done. Five of the boats were 
 placed on a floating drydock with the remaining three made fast astern, 
 protected from the ice by a barge on either side, and a fleet of ten tugs 
 was commandeered to tow the outfit down the river. The start was 
 made one Thursday night with the thermometer at 24 degrees below 
 zero. The progress was slow and the work was heart-breaking. One 
 day the little fleet was driven back fifteen miles by the tide and wind. 
 But on Monday morning it arrived in New York. The crews had 
 been on the job continuously for four days and nights in the bitter 
 cold and with but little food. Many a man has won the Croix de 
 Guerre for a less heroic job. 
 
Chapter V 
 
 EQUIPMENT OF THE CHASERS 
 
 Armament 
 
 THE gun with which the majority of the Chasers were equipped 
 was ill many respects Hke that used on the British M. L.'s. It is 
 a short-cahber 3-inch Poole gun with long recoil and with some- 
 what less range than the regular Navy gun of the same bore, and is 
 adaptable to high-angle fire for anti-air-craft work. Several types of 
 shells were carried including shrapnel for close range and air-craft 
 work, high-explosive for attacking a submarine on the surface and the 
 newly-developed non-ricochet type with the flat nose which was used 
 when attacking a submerged submarine at a distance. And then there 
 was a dummy shell loaded with sand, which was used only in target 
 practice. 
 
 Besides the deck gun two machine guns of the Lewis or Colt type 
 were carried on the wings of the bridge and there were rifles for the 
 men and automatic pistols for the officers. 
 
 But the depth bomb was by far the most formidable weapon carried 
 by the Chasers. The Mark II depth bomb weighs in the neighborhood 
 of 300 pounds and is arranged that it may be set to explode at any 
 required depth merely by the adjustment of a dial on the outside. 
 The terrible havoc wrought by the detonation of 250 pounds of T.N.T. 
 fifty feet or so beneath the surface of the sea, really must be seen 
 — and felt and heard — to be appreciated. One of the photographs 
 gives some idea of what happens. 
 
 Originally these ash cans were carried in cradles at the stern of 
 the vessel to be shoved overboard by hand when needed, but with the 
 improvement of the bomb it was found that only on the faster vessels 
 would such a method of launching be safe. Slower vessels were in 
 danger of having their sterns blown off before they could reach a safe 
 distance. The next step was the development of the howitzer for 
 hurling the bombs clear of the ship and then the Y-gun, with which 
 practically all the Chasers were equipped. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Photograph by Ensign Henry Bonnell, U.S.N.R.F. 
 T. showing why it was desirable to ring up full 
 
 The effect of 300 lbs. of T. N 
 
 speed ahead before dropping an ash can over the stern, 
 to explode at a depth of 100 ft. 
 
 This bomb was set 
 
 The Y-Gun 
 
 If you will look at the deck view of a fully-equipped Chaser you 
 will notice a Y-shaped instrument installed somewhat aft of amid- 
 ships, between the two trunks, its arms pointing over the sides at an 
 angle of about 45 degrees. This is the Y-gun, or as we used to call 
 it in the days of the censorship, the Siamese twins. With this gun 
 two bombs were hurled over the quarters simultaneously and although 
 the hand method of launching over the stern was still used on the 
 Chasers, it is obvious that the Y-gun considerably increased the area 
 of destruction. 
 
 It will be seen from the close-up portrait of the Y-gun and the 
 section of motion picture film taken at the instant of discharge, that 
 the cans are held on the ends of plungers which fit the bore of the 
 gun and which are discharged along with the bombs. A blank 3-inch 
 shell is inserted in the breech at the intersection of the barrels and is 
 fired by means of a lanyard in the usual way. The plungers with their 
 bombs are hurled fifty yards or so clear of the vessel and as they are 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 69 
 
 Photograph by Keystone View Co. 
 
 An excellent portrait of a Y-Gun with ash cans in place. A blank 3-inch shell 
 is inserted in the breech as shown and the depth bombs with the plungers on 
 which they are carried are hurled simultaneously well clear of the vessel. The 
 bombs may be set to explode at any predetermined depth by the indicator on 
 
 the end. 
 
 discharged simultaneously, it will be seen that the lateral component 
 of the recoil is neutralized leaving nothing but a downward thrust 
 which is taken up by a stanchion supporting the deck. 
 
 The Wireless Telephone 
 
 It would be hard to overestimate the value of the wireless tele- 
 phone which was one of the many points of superiority that the S. C.'s 
 had over the M. L.'s. This means of communication, being independ- 
 ent of fog or light or the condition of the weather, with the possible 
 exception of electrical storms, rendered the semaphore and the blinker 
 and even the ordinary wireless obsolete and permitted the Chasers to 
 maneuver at lightning speed. Of course when hunting submarines it 
 was not the custom to converse over the telephone as in ordinary con- 
 versation. All communication was carried on in code by means of 
 letters and to avoid the confusion due to the similarity in the sounds 
 
70 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Fhotograth by courtesy of W. C. Van Xafta. C.M.M.. I'S.X.R.F. 
 
 Rehearsing for a possible sub off Gibraltar, which shows faintly in the distance 
 
 to the right. 
 
 of many letters, the letters of the alphabet were given names which 
 were used instead. For instance, suppose the code message read : 
 "A B Q;" the sender would shout: "Abel Boy Quack" and instantly 
 every Chaser in the vicinity responded. An ordinary wireless re- 
 ceiving outfit, if properly tuned, will pick up wireless telephone mes- 
 sages and the operators in the vicinity of a flock of sub-chasers must 
 have been startled by the ludicrous things they overheard. 
 
 Directional Hydrophones or Listening Tubes 
 
 All American Chasers operating in foreign waters were equip- 
 ped with several distinct types of listening apparatus for determining 
 the position of a submarine by the sound of its propelling machinery 
 transmitted through the water. The listening devices in common use 
 were the "S. C." tube, the "M. B." tube, and the "K." hydrophone, of 
 which the two former were used principally in the daytime, because of 
 the ease with which they could be lowered and raised again. At night 
 when hove to or when lying idly on station in the daytime, the "K." in 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 71 
 
 addition to the other tubes was used. But before describing these 
 tubes in detail let us look at the problem in general. 
 
 Sound travels better through the water than through the air, at 
 least in water up to a certain depth. In the early part of the war it 
 was supposed that the deeper the water the more accurately it would 
 be possible to determine the bearing or direction from which the sound 
 came. But it was found later on by Professor Mason and those en- 
 gaged in experimental work on listening devices, that in water deeper 
 than 600 fathoms a vessel had to be fairly close, say less than a mile 
 distant, before she could be heard at all, which seems to prove that 
 the sound waves are reflected off the bottom. 
 
 The principle of all listening devices is based on the fact that to 
 hear a sound most distinctly it is necessary to turn the head so that it 
 faces the direction from which the sound comes, in other words, so 
 that the ears are equi-distant from the source of sound. Both the 
 "S. C." and the "M. B." tubes were built in the form of an inverted 
 T, one L of which was connected to the listener's right ear and the 
 other to his left ear. When the ship was stopped and the tubes lowered 
 they were revolved with the same efifect as though the listener were 
 turning his head beneath the water. When a sound was heard it was 
 "centered" by turning the tube until it came to the listener's ear with 
 equal intensity. Its bearing relative to the ship's head was then read 
 from a collar at the top of the tube marked in degrees. For example, 
 if the sound came from the starboard side directly abeam, its bearing 
 was 90 degrees. Knowing the ship's course, it was then a simple 
 matter to convert this bearing into a magnetic compass bearing, to be 
 transferred to the guide ship by telephone. 
 
 It is remarkable how expert the listeners became not only in pick- 
 ing up noises, but actually in determining the type of vessel from which 
 they came. Liners, battleships, destroyers, submarines on the surface 
 and submerged, all had their own characteristic sounds, and a listener 
 who could not distinguish them had no place on a Chaser. There is 
 one case on record where a listener reported a submarine traveling 
 submerged and ventured the opinion that it was an American vessel 
 and further that it belonged to the "K." class, which, much to the 
 surprise of his commanding officer, proved to be the case. So accurate 
 
72 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 was the fix that a little later, when the sub came to the surface to 
 give the laugh to the Chaser, she was actually rammed by her pursuer. 
 
 The "S. C." Tube 
 
 The "S. C." tube was installed on the port side of the keel well 
 forward and when not in use was hauled up into a protective housing 
 built along the garboardstrake. When lowered it projected about 3 
 feet below the keel. As shown in the sketch, the arms of this tube 
 were fitted with hollow rubber ears connected by tubes of absolutely 
 equal length to the stethoscopes. The sound coming through the water 
 struck the outside of these sensitive rubber bulbs setting up a vibra- 
 tion of the air inside which traveled up the tubes to the ears of the 
 listener. 
 
 There were several objections to this type of tube. For example, 
 when the chaser was rolling more than 20 degrees, and she usually 
 was, the water washing against the ears made it difficult to get a good 
 center. But a greater difficulty was that because of its construction 
 all the sounds in the neighborhood were heard at once, producing a 
 confusion which made it difficult to isolate any particular one. 
 
 The "M. B." Tube 
 
 The "M. B." tube was designed to overcome these difficulties. It 
 was installed on the starboard side directly opposite the "S. C." and, 
 while more accurate, was heavier and much more elaborate. It was 
 constructed with ] 6 ears, eight on the right side and eight on the left, all 
 on the bottom of the tube and all connected by passage of equal length 
 to the stethoscopes. 
 
 The principle of the ears equi-distant from the listener's ears was 
 the same as in the "S. C." tube. The advantages of the "M. B." were 
 that water noises had much less efifect on it and that if there were 
 more than one sound, all but one could be cut out provided they were 
 more than 30 degrees apart. 
 
 With the "S. C." any sound in the circle of the horizon could be 
 heard while the "M. B." worked more as a telescope to concentrate on 
 one spot. Both of these principles, by the way, were employed in the 
 later German periscopes which were so constructed that the same in- 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 73 
 
 STETHESCOPE 
 
 WHEEL FOR 
 REVOLVING TUBE 
 
 GRADUATED 
 DIAL FOR READING 
 BEARINGS 
 
 A-B HOLLOW RUBBER "EARS" 
 
 C - BRASS PIPE 
 
 D - SMALL BRASS TUBES 
 
 Diagram of the "S. C." Tube. 
 
 strument gave a complete view of the horizon and an enlarged section 
 of any portion of it at the same time. 
 
 The ability of the "M. B." to eliminate undesirable noises is ex- 
 plained by the fact that a sound coming from the sides would strike 
 the nearest ear first, then the next, and the next, and so on, and by the 
 time it got to the main channel of the instrument would be confused 
 and blanketed by itself. Supposing the instrument were set at zero, 
 only sounds coming from the sector between 345 degrees and 15 de- 
 grees and those from the opposite sector between 165 degrees and ]95 
 degrees would be heard at all. It took somewhat longer to search the 
 complete circle with the "M. B." tube but its possibility for accuracy 
 was much greater although I believe on some boats it was seldom used 
 because of its complicated construction and susceptibility to leaks. 
 
 The "K'' Hydrophone 
 
 Submarines took advantage of the darkness to come to the surface 
 to charge their storage batteries. A submarine is itself a pretty good 
 listening device even without any special listening apparatus, and when 
 
74 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 ifur- 
 
 Pliotograpk by courtesy of Ensign George Wallace^ U.S.N.R.F. 
 
 The "136" lifted out bodily for over-night repairs at Norfolk, showing the hous- 
 ing of her hydrophone alongside the keel. 
 
 it heard anything in the vicinity it stayed below. For this reason it 
 was customary for the Chasers to He to and drift all night in order to 
 listen and avoid being heard. At such times or when on station in 
 the daytime a much more elaborate electrical listening device was used 
 known as the "K. tube." The "S. C." and the "M. B." tubes had a 
 radius of only about four or five miles but with the "K." working 
 under good conditions, vessels could be heard up to 30 miles or more. 
 The "K." tube, which was really not a tube at all, was designed to 
 eliminate local water noises and was constructed in the following man- 
 ner. A triangular shaped brass pipe with rubber ears at the corners 
 was suspended by an electric cable at a depth of about 40 feet. This 
 device was supported for the most part by a hollow metal float, the 
 buoyancy of which was just a little less than that necessary to support 
 the triangle. The remaining buoyancy was furnished by twelve small 
 floats known as the "twelve apostles" through which a cable ran to 
 the boat, and it was found that this arrangement effectually eliminated 
 all local water noises. The ears were filled with little carbon granules 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 75 
 
 and a sound coming in vibrated these and was sent up the electricahy 
 charged cable to the "compensator" and thence to the stethoscopes in 
 much the same way that a telephone operates. 
 
 When the engines were shut down the Chaser lay beam to the wind 
 and drifted slowly to leeward. The device was put over the weather 
 side and assumed a position out to windward. The little buoys were 
 treated with phosphorescent paint so that their bearing from the boat 
 was easily determined, and when the sound-bearing was read from the 
 scale on the compensator it was a simple matter to convert it first to 
 the bearing relative to the ship's head and then to the true magnetic. 
 
 \^'ithout attempting to explain the rather elaborate principle on 
 which this device operated, it may be said that there were three scales 
 on the compensator for reading the bearing of the sound, viz., "AB," 
 "BC," and "CD," corresponding to the sides of the triangle. By re- 
 volving the wheel on the compensator box until the sound was of equal 
 intensity in both ears, whatever the bearing of the sound, it would ap- 
 pear on two of the scales. This eliminated the so-called 180 degree 
 error, or in other words, made it possible to determine which of the 
 two diametrically opposite bearings was the correct one. 
 
 The Latest Development 
 
 The results obtained with the hydrophones described above were 
 uncanny in their accuracy, but inventive activity stimulated by the war 
 never was content to let well enough alone. During the last few 
 months of hostilities a new tube was developed which eliminated the 
 faults of the others. Time lost by having to stop to listen, the water 
 noises of the "M. B." and "S. C." tubes, the 180 degree error, and the 
 necessity of having two men below in the magazine to raise and lower 
 the tubes, all were washed out by the new device. The greatest ad- 
 vantage of the new "M. V. tube" as it was called, was that it could 
 be used while under way. It was a much more cumbersome device 
 than any of its predecessors weighing, complete, in the neighborhood 
 of two tons and consisting of two parts lying along either side of the 
 forward part of the keel for a distance of 38'^. feet. The device was 
 23J4 inches wide and projected 15^4 inches below the keel, but by en- 
 closing the tubes in a streamhne shell very little resistance was caused 
 by its presence on the bottom of the boat. 
 
76 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 The new tube had 348 ears and was so arranged as to cut out the 
 sound of the ship's own propellers. Noises caused by slapping water 
 were done away with by encasing the device in a non-watertight shell 
 so that it was always surrounded by dead water. While not actually 
 used against enemy submarines I know of one case where accurate 
 bearings were obtained of a sub traveling submerged at three knots 
 from a Chaser traveling at ten knots at a distance of eight hundred 
 yards. Never before had it been possible to hear a submarine running 
 at such low speed or to get an accurate bearing from a vessel in 
 motion. 
 
 An interesting thing developed during the tests of the new hydro- 
 phone on Submarine Chaser 252. Henry P. Bonnell, her commanding 
 officer, says that in spite of the two tons which meant an additional 
 weight of nearly three per cent of the total displacement of the boat, 
 and the added resistance of the bulb on the bottom, his vessel made 
 better speed after it was installed than she had before. This, of course, 
 was due to the fact that the Chasers were so heavily loaded aft that 
 they were about 18 inches down by the stern and this weight for- 
 ward caused the boat in question to assume a more normal running 
 trim. 
 
 Still another detection device with which the S. C.'s were equipped 
 was called the "Trailer," the purpose of which was to detect the 
 presence of a submerged submarine when lying idly on the bottom as 
 was frequently their custom. No type of listening device would help 
 in such a case and so the trailer was designed to establish an electrolytic 
 action and ring a buzzer in the pilot house when contact was made 
 with the steel hull of the submarine. The device consisted of two 
 parts, one a bronze plate hung over the stern and the other a length of 
 heavy chain on the end of a phosphor bronze wire. The latter was 
 trailed astern, the weight of the chain keeping it on the bottom, and 
 when contact was made with the hull of the sub an electrolytic action 
 was set up between this and the bronze plate. It was found later 
 that by attaching one wire to the quadrant the bronze rudder served as 
 an electrode as well as the plate, simplifying the device. 
 
 The Trailer was not used to any great extent but actually proved 
 of value on several occasions in determining the position of a sub- 
 marine that had been bombed, thereby establishing the kill. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 n 
 
 0^ f°^^^ 
 
 
 Y-G 
 
 \ 
 
 ^ 
 
 UN 
 
 c 
 
 > 
 
 2 
 
 % \ 
 
 I 
 
 .^-"M-1\k-M--- 
 
 ( 
 
 S //ii //" 
 
 4 
 
 t 
 
 * 
 
 i 
 
 Formation for the Attack 
 
 When out after submarines the Chasers worked in units of three 
 which was the least number that could obtain an accurate fix from 
 sound bearings obtained through the hydrophones. Two vessels, 
 working under ideal conditions, might obtain a fairly accurate fix from 
 cross bearings but with a third a check was obtained on the other two. 
 If either of the wing boats was not in contact with the sub, the third 
 vessel supplied the necessary second bearing. Three vessels were fully 
 as mobile as two and with one acting as guide, it was simple for the 
 others to maintain their positions. 
 
 The original formation was a triangle, vessels two and three main- 
 taining positions off the quarters of the first vessel on a bearing of 
 exactly 45 degrees, no matter what the course of the leader. But this 
 formation proved slow and unwieldy because of the fact that Nos. 3 
 and 3 besides checking up constantly on the other positions had the 
 job of remembering and holding to their courses. The final plan, 
 therefore, was a line-abreast formation at right angles to the line of 
 
78 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 bearing on the submarine. It was the job of the guide ship to keep 
 headed for the submarine, and it was a simple matter for the wing 
 ships to maintain their positions on the guide ship's beam. 
 
 Naturally, courses changed frequently during a hunt calling for a 
 great amount of pivoting, and there was also the frequent necessity 
 of stopping to listen in, but due to the wireless telephones with which 
 all Chasers were equipped, such maneuvers were executed with light- 
 ning rapidity. 
 
 When all three boats had drawn within a few hundred yards of a 
 sub and were in a position to attack, the wing ships would close in 
 to within 100 yards of the guide and the plan of dropping depth bombs 
 shown in the sketch was carried out. 
 
 Probably the greatest advantage of the Chaser over the destroyer 
 and other larger vessels in anti-submarine work was the ability to stop 
 all machinery instantly, in order to listen with the hydrophones which 
 was necessary at intervals of about ten minutes whenever in motion, 
 whether actually on the trail of a sub or not; a thing obviously impos- 
 sible on a destroyer with her elaborate auxiliary pumping machinery. 
 By means of the air starting and reversing feature of the Standard en- 
 gine, starting, stopping and maneuvering could be carried on ad 
 infinitum. 
 
 The phenomenal speed obtained by the Chasers in maneuvering 
 was made possible as we said before, by the wireless telephone which 
 made other similar methods of intercommunication obsolete. Flags 
 and shapes to transmit courses and bearings and the Morse code and 
 the semaphore were alike unnecessary to the Chasers whose work was 
 done with the precision of clockwork and the speed of greased light- 
 ning. In fact, the intercommunication between the members of the 
 "S. C." fleet was so perfect on the Otranto "barrage" across the 
 mouth of the Adriatic, that an order was issued to the commanding 
 officers of all German and Austrian submarines opei-ating in the vicinity 
 not to fire on a Chaser because of the fact that it would mean almost 
 sure destruction for the sub at the hands of the other boats in the 
 neighborhood. This order was intercepted by wireless and was a 
 pretty compliment to the efficiency of the barrage. 
 
 The Chasers being comparatively slow boats, very little faster than 
 a submarine, in fact, had to work with the utmost speed when stop- 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 79 
 
 ping to get bearings. That they did so is shown by the fact that it 
 was not unusual for three Chasers to stop, lower their listening de- 
 vices, obtain a bearing on a submerged sub, transmit it on the phone 
 to the center or guide ship where it was plotted, obtain the new course 
 and distance, and be under way in less than a minute. No wonder 
 that these energetic youngsters who cared not a tinker's damn for 
 regulations, which it was impossible to observe on tiny ships that were 
 never on an even keel, have been called the best disciplined crowd in 
 the Navv. They did their work sans rest, sans food, sans praise. 
 Thev did it largelv in their own wav but they did it well. 
 
 Section of a motion picture film, showing the Y-Gun and depth bombs at the 
 
 instant of discharge. The plungers on which the "ash cans" are carried 
 
 may be seen distinctly. 
 
80 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Photograph by courtesy of Lieut. Edmund Frederick, U.S.N.R.F. 
 
 Fresh bread from the mother ship on the way over. A venturesome gob takes 
 advantage of the opportunity to visit his friends. 
 
Chapter \'l 
 THOSE WHO WENT ACROSS 
 
 EXCEPT for the hundred turned over to the French Govern- 
 ment, some of which were towed over, most of the 235 Chasers 
 that crossed the Atlantic did so under their own power. When 
 the war cracked there were 135 in European waters, manned and under 
 the command of young American reservists, and their field of opera- 
 tions extended from the Adriatic to the Arctic Ocean. 
 
 It would have been hard to believe, a couple of years ago, that a 
 bunch of youngsters from every sort of occupation and with only a 
 few months' training would be taking "those damned S. C.'s" across 
 the Atlantic. It's no mean trick to navigate a ship, but did you ever 
 tr}- to shoot the sun from a small boat in a seaway ? And did you ever 
 try to prepare hot food in such a boat at sea ? Or stand a watch in an 
 engine room when the weather was so rough that every opening had 
 to be battened down to keep the water out and the atmosphere was 
 like a German gas attack? If you have you will appreciate the mag- 
 nificence of the feat. 
 
 Of course, the boats were seaworthy. We knew they would be 
 that in spite of their numerous critics. Most people, with the possible 
 exception of the big-ship crowd, are coming to realize that actual sea- 
 worthiness is not a matter of size. But living on the boats frequently 
 battened down for days on end is another matter. Talk about the 
 destroyers ! If you want a real sensation, go to sea in a Submarine 
 Chaser. 
 
 The American Chasers operating in foreign waters were sent to 
 points where most needed. In the neighborhood of fifty were sta- 
 tioned at Plymouth, England; thirty at Corfu, Greece, which is near 
 the mouth of the Adriatic ; eighteen at Gibraltar ; twelve at Brest, and 
 fourteen in the Azores. Each boat carries two officers and a crew of 
 twenty-four men, and it is estimated that the average distance covered 
 on patrol was over a thousand sea miles a month. Commander 
 Joseph C. Fisher, who has had a lot to do with the Chasers, said to 
 the writer recently, "They were the most efficient vessels in locating 
 
82 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 »»*»- 
 
 Photog) aph b\ iointLS\ ut Lieut Edmund Fndctuk U S \ R F 
 
 Fueling on the way across the Atlantic bj' means of bases from the mother ship. 
 
 The Chestnut Hill afterward accommodated seven Chasers at a time — three 
 
 astern and two at either side. 
 
 submarines submerged that were employed in anti-submarine warfare, 
 the reason being that it was possible to stop all their machinery while 
 using the detection apparatus." 
 
 "The fitting out of the 110-foot Submarine Chasers," said Secretary 
 Daniels in his annual report for 1918, "has had a marked effect upon 
 the submarine campaign both here and abroad. At the beginning of 
 the year there were thirty-eight of these Chasers in commission. There 
 are now 40(i Submarine Chasers in commission, of which 235 (100 
 French and 135 American) have been despatched abroad and the re- 
 mainder assigned to duty in home waters. 
 
 "The problem of sending such a large number of these small vessels, 
 with a limited cruising radius, across the Atlantic, was one that re- 
 quired careful thought. A plan of sending these Chasers in groups, 
 convoyed by a fuel ship and fueling at sea, was finally adopted and 
 was most successful. 
 
 "In connection with the operation of a group of these Chasers in 
 the Adriatic, the following cable has been received : 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET S3 
 
 "Italian Naval General Staff expresses highest appreciation of useful 
 and efficient work performed by United States Chasers in protecting 
 major vessels during action against Durazzo ; also vivid admiration of 
 their brilliant and clever operation which resulted in sinking two enemy 
 submarines." 
 
 LIFE ON A CI-IASER 
 
 Now that we have some idea of the boats themselves and how 
 they came to be designed, let's sign on for a cruise across the Atlantic 
 and learn something of the intimate life aboard — "how twenty- four 
 men and two officers nicely sardined aboard a packet originally de- 
 signed for only eighteen, spent their time at sea and their money in 
 port." 
 
 George Wallace, erstwhile Ensign, U. S. N. R. F., skipper of the 
 "253" and commander of "L" Division of six boats, has had an un- 
 usually broad experience in all phases of Chaser work, and we can do 
 no better than to take his story as he told it to the writer recently and 
 as he wrote it subsequently for Motor Boat. I quote : 
 
 In order that no one may get a wrong impression and accuse me 
 of flippancy or a grudge against the Navy, or a grouch, I want to state 
 here and now that I would not have preferred any other branch of 
 the service to the one I was in, nor would the majority of officers and 
 men aboard those chasers that went to sea, and by going to sea I mean 
 clipping off anywhere from fifteen to fifty thousand miles in big water. 
 We had many discomforts, but by the same token, an awful lot of 
 fun. The latter, of course, was contingent on the first, for after a 
 man had neither washed nor shaved for two weeks and had subsisted 
 out of a tin can for the same period he was likely to take his fun in 
 large doses — regardless of expense or the innocent bystanders. For 
 that reason, as well as our youth, I have always had a sneaking suspicion 
 that some men — long in battlewagon service — wondered how such an 
 undisciplined mob as hit the beach on liberation from the chasers ever 
 got away with what they did, either in running and navigating a chaser, 
 or in pursuing the elusive submarine. I would have wondered myself 
 if I had never been on one. As a matter of fact, in their own way, 
 submarine chaser men were the best disciplined in the whole navy. 
 They and the destroyers had the toughest assignment of the naval war. 
 
84 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 They carried out their assignment efficiently. They accomplished what 
 they were put aboard to do — defeat the submarine — and they did this 
 not aboard a 25,000-ton, steam-heated and steam-driven, six-decked, 
 pianola-equipped battleship, but in a little sweat-box or ice-box (accord- 
 ing to the weather), of a wooden ship which rolled 140 degrees in 
 seven seconds (70 degrees each way), whose decks leaked so that 
 everyone's clothes were soaking wet, and so small and so overloaded 
 with engines and anti-submarine gear of all kinds that there were 
 not enough bunks to go around. You drank your coffee standing, when 
 there was coffee, and you never had a laundry bill. When a chaser did 
 put into port, is it any wonder that all hands wanted exercise — to say 
 the least. 
 
 Maybe I am the biased one — but as I had been to sea once or twice 
 before I saw the Navy, perhaps I'll be pardoned for saying that the 
 deck force of the average chaser could not have consisted of better 
 men. They started as green as grass, learned their job quickly, did 
 it well, and were game — even at the end of six months of four hours 
 on and four off, day in and day out. As for the black gang — God 
 bless 'em. Running at night — darkened ship — with every port closed — 
 practically no ventilation — stinking fumes thick as pea soup — repairs 
 to be made whether smooth or rough — those boys did their bit. My 
 one suggestion is : if you ever want a good gas engine man — and there 
 are not very many really good ones — employ one who has stood a 
 regular watch on a chaser. 
 
 But I must get on with my story. It was my good fortune to be 
 assigned to sub-chaser experimental work before many had been 
 launched. There was a fleet of twelve of us at New London, Conn., 
 whose job it was to test out all listening apparatus and to make prac- 
 tical use if possible of those inventions which were laboratory successes 
 but had not as yet bridged the gap between that and the gruelling work 
 of the open sea. After finding what was best we then had to evolve 
 chaser tactics, which included maneuvers, special signals, hunting, 
 patrol and attack formations, and at the same time take men who had 
 never been to sea before, and not only cram practical seamanship into 
 their heads and bodies, but the specialized knowledge so necessary to 
 efficient, lightning-fast sub-chaser operation, and all this in the short 
 space of three or four months. Consequently we were going morning. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS Ol- THE ELEET 
 
 85 
 
 Photograph by courtesy of JV. C. Van Natta, C.M.M., U.S.N.R.F. 
 Taking it over tlie fo'c's'le head. 
 
 noon and three to four nights a week, and if you will but recall the 
 winter of 1917-18, this meant operating in ice anywhere from six to 
 twelve inches thick. 
 
 We had no heating systems, but we lived aboard just the same, 
 and many a morning, with the thermometer hovering around and often 
 under zero, engines were started only after a thorough application of a 
 blow torch on frozen cylinders. 
 
 When March came blustering along, we hunted subs — American 
 ones to be sure, but we had all the local color of the English Channel, 
 produced by the fog and winds of Block Island and old Montauk. 
 
 In those days, alas, few of us had our sea stomachs, and many a 
 seaman locked arms with a civilian inventor or two over the rail. 
 Speaking of inventors, there was one little Southerner in command of 
 a chaser whose luck had run to inventors for several weeks, and 
 on all his trips he had to feed them one or two meals daily. 
 He was decidedly out of pocket and his mess accounts groaned under 
 the added burden. And then one day he smiled. It was noticed that 
 the "long hairs," as they were known, avoided his chaser. When asked 
 
86 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 87 
 
 how he did it, he replied, "Well, I got blamed tired of their big 
 appetites, and the way they gvizzled hot coffee was a caution, so I just 
 bought me a pound of chicory to mix with a few beans of Java, and 
 when they hit the Race with that in their stomachs they just naturally 
 passed out." 
 
 As March merged into April, chasers arrived in increasing num- 
 bers to be equipped with all the gadjets, spend a few weeks under 
 instruction, and then slip quietly out for foreign waters. This out- 
 fitting was done at the Marine Iron Works, and it was there one day 
 that all of us first got into action. The affair was informally known 
 as the "Battle of the Marine Iron Works." It seemed that one chaser 
 out of the twenty or thirty at the dock had just mounted her Y-gun 
 as well as the two 400-lb. depth charges, which the gun was used to 
 hurl clear of the ship — 3-in. blank charges being used for this purpose. 
 The gunner's mate of this particular chaser was testing out his am- 
 munition and had neglected to go through the formality of removing 
 the firing pin. The inevitable happened. There was a loud report and 
 two ash cans loaded with T.N.T. went sailing majestically through 
 the air. Simultaneously about 500 men marathoned up the dock, re- 
 gardless of rank, rate or precedent, expecting every second to be lifted 
 mto the air and with visions of "full military honors." Fortunately 
 the charges were on safety, and when they splashed in shoal water, 
 they failed to explode. 
 
 You can imagine our feelings — seeing the other chasers start 
 across, leaving us to gadjeter around New London — and then on 
 the first of June the war started on our own coast. Now I don't be- 
 lieve any of us wished our poor, harassed merchantmen any hard 
 luck, but all of us blessed the first U-boat sinking over here, because 
 it meant action. We got it — and at once. Three of us Tactical boats^ 
 the "6," the "214" and the "253" — the night of June 3 received orders 
 to be ready for sea at midnight, and, we, only station ships with no 
 grub, no ammunition, reduced crews ! How we did it no one knows, 
 but when we left at daylight next morning we had aboard strange faces 
 and strange engine parts, and other vessels' food. We left behind 
 many enemies and much cursing, but we were ready. 
 
 Then began three months of the hardest grind any of us ever 
 went through. Hardly ever in port, without a base, with the whole 
 
88 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Atlantic Coast to cover, never a day for repairs, it was a case of keep- 
 ing at sea until fuel was exhausted — a dash to port to fill up — then out 
 again. At night a light showing, even the glimmer of a match, was a 
 disgrace, and if you lost the main body in a fog or rain you kept quiet 
 and found your position if you could or carried out orders alone. 
 
 We three boats joined fifteen others, which, with the destroyer 
 Jonett, made up the Special Anti-Submarine Force. During June we 
 operated from Norfolk and had the honor of convoying over 400,000 
 troops on four separate convoys two-thirds of the way to Bermuda — 
 and not without a brush with a submarine. It was lively work for a 
 few moments, with the transports blazing away with their sixes and 
 eights and all the glorious upheaval of the depth bombs. After leav- 
 ing the troopships we would scout back to port. Many were the life- 
 boats and the wrecks we sighted, and one night for six and a half 
 hours the "Holy Trinity" (6 — 214 — 253) chased a Hun. Of course we 
 could not see him, but we heard him, and if we had not run out of 
 gas I think we would have got him. Such is the irony of fate. 
 
 An unusual thing happened on one of these trips. Another group 
 of three chasers had contact with a sub a few miles off the Delaware 
 capes. They dropped bombs, one of which failed to explode. Some 
 hours later an American sub came to the surface of the breakwater 
 to find a depth bomb lying on her fo'castle deck. 
 
 The latter part of July we were rushed up to Cape Cod to patrol 
 from Nantucket to Halifax — just in time for those pea-soup August 
 fogs and mean southeasters. During August, by the way, we had just 
 nine clear days, and we spent a total of 92 hours in port. It cost each 
 of us about 20 lb., but we accomplished our purpose. 
 
 Many and varied were our experiences, and perhaps the weirdest 
 was one run the Holy Trinity made from Provincetown to Nantucket 
 Lightship and return in one of those smoking-brown blanket fogs that 
 was as heavy as rain and so thick that a lookout was a joke and a 
 searchlight undiscernible at 80 yards. The weirdest thing of all was 
 that we did pick up the lightship and right where she ought to be. We 
 did not see any subs, but brought back a few starving fishermen left 
 by our courageous enemy to drift around in dories 100 miles from port. 
 
 Of course, I cannot tell how a certain group of chasers tied up 
 alongside of each other in the thick of that fog and had a progressive 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 89 
 
 luncheon, or how "Tal" tried to shoot "Warry" with a Very signal pistol 
 for kidding and cursing him, causing me heart-failure because I 
 thought some one had been sunk, nor how all hands went fishing off 
 Chatham before we were ordered to patrol Massachusetts Bay while 
 President Wilson was at Manchester. Nor dare I mention how one 
 chaser was fooled into thinking a sub fired at her with pistols — shortly 
 followed by a torpedo. Nor would it be diplomatic to mention the 
 name of a certain cruiser which mistook us for subs and blazed away 
 six times at us with her 8-in. guns before clapping on 25 knots and 
 disappearing over the horizon ; nor of the wild tales of the sea the 
 Gobs told the natives of Halifax, and wilder ones about the subs we 
 had sunk. But I can tell of the wonderful spirit that pervaded that 
 little fleet, in spite of the wringing wet, drudgery of protecting the 
 coastal traffic, the cheerfulness of men and officers, worn out, digestions 
 ruined, sick of climbing up endless hills and counting countless hollows. 
 And I can tell of the respect — yes, the adoration — we had for our force 
 commander. Captain W. P. Cronan — a born leader who knew when 
 men were doing their best and, more by his attitude than his words, 
 expressed his satisfaction. 
 
 And so it was with real regret, although with a great joy too, that 
 the fleet was broken up and twelve chasers were ordered to New 
 London for ten days' overhaul, and then — foreign service ! We said 
 goodbye to our friends and two days later were in the throes of an 
 overhauling in the midst of a real, real town where there were trains 
 and movies, broiled steaks, real hotel beds, bell boys. Our appearance 
 promptly earned us the title of "The Dirty Dozen." We deserved it, 
 for twelve more ragged ships have never been seen. 13,500 miles 
 without paint or repairs had done their work. 
 
 Two weeks later, with the force augmented by eighteen other 
 chasers, six of them French, three big brutes of tugs, and mothered 
 by our old friend the "Prairie," and the wallowing "Hippo" as fuel 
 ship, we set sail for Bermuda. 
 
 To us that trip was a restful vacation. True, the chow came out 
 of the same old can, and the water was just as big, but this time we 
 had a light to follow — a wee, dim, blue thing — but a light. What a 
 blessing it was to come on watch at 2 A. M. and see that tiny flame 
 dead ahead, after months of red-eyed straining blackness. 
 
90 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 That first leg- was made without incident. We fooled the tugs, 
 for no one broke down, and our stay in Bermuda was very brief. The 
 Flu had us all quarantined aboard, so there was nothing to do but 
 rush our few repairs and set out for the Azores. 
 
 We were twelve days making those 2,000 miles. Our speed was 
 83^ knots, and every third day we slowed down to fuel, which we 
 accomplished alongside or astern of the "Hippo." We would catch a 
 heaving line and haul in a 6-in. sea painter and make fast, then the 
 gasoline hose next, and in 40 minutes our tanks would be full. Two 
 boats fuelled astern as well, and I have seen six chasers at a time per- 
 forming the operation. It sounds simple, but in a chop or heavy ground 
 swell it took all the niceties of judgment and seamanship to get close 
 enough to make fast and yet keep clear and escape being cracked like 
 an egg against the steel sides of the rolling tanker. 
 
 But the longest trip must terminate, and one morning we sighted 
 the Island of San Miguel, Azores, and finally crept behind the seawall 
 of old-world Ponta Delgada, and feasted on fresh picked luscious 
 pineapples, we were quite willing to forget the past two weeks and 
 continue the war. That night, the greasy, dirty American Pension 
 rivalled Rector's in our eyes, and the Michelenses Club appeared as 
 festive as any cabaret. We spent twelve days there, expediting repairs 
 quite as usual, prowling around through the stinks of the town, seek- 
 ing souvenirs, or roaming the walled-in fields that rose to the splendid 
 rolling heights. Evenings found us at the club for cards and roulette, 
 and always Anton, his sandwiches and his many merry bottles. 
 
 And then the Flu descended to ravage poor bewildered Ponta 
 Delgada. Thousands on the Island died, for among those ignorant 
 islanders there were few who knew of sanitation and none had medi- 
 cines. In a few days we found water scarce and fresh provisions im- 
 possible to obtain. So to sea we went, this time without our fuel and 
 mother ships, accompanied only by one destroyer. We left in the 
 midst of a howling northwester which grew worse within 24 hours. 
 If the wind had not been astern our scanty fuel supply would never 
 have lasted to Portugal. We battled for -iyz days — scattered apart 
 into detachments of twos and threes, but we all made Lexioes, the 
 sea outlet to Oporto, and few there were who had an hour's supply of 
 gas left or less than 3 ft. of water in their after compartment. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 91 
 
 Here let me chronicle one of the bravest individual feats I have 
 yet to hear of. At 1 A. i\I. on a particularly bad night with seas 
 practically submerging us, one nasty one swept away the rail of the 
 "355." The chief quartermaster went with the rail and in the wink of 
 an eyelash was 100 yards astern. Ensign Peterson, the captain, got 
 his engines backing, his searchlight working and then went over the 
 side after his chief. He got him, too — unconscious and nearly gone — 
 and he brought that dead weight to the ship in the face of those 
 breaking crests. It was only pure courage that could have done it — 
 the 1 A. M. kind where there was no gallery to applaud and give en- 
 couragement. 
 
 We thought we had a week at Lexioes for repairs and to wait for 
 gasoline. We thought, too, that we were going to Brest, but the next 
 day the destroyer Parker sneaked into the harbor and then a tug 
 loaded with gasoline drums. We were ordered to Gibraltar — rush. 
 You see, Austria having just made peace meant that German subs had 
 no base nearer than Germany, and every one in the Mediterranean 
 had to pass through the Straits to get home. It was our big oppor- 
 tunity — probably the last one we would have — but there was only 
 enough gasoline for half a dozen even after we had worked all night 
 draining each other's tanks for the last remaining drop. 
 
 Next morning nine left — four in tow of the destroyer and tug. 
 We others had to get gas by hook or crook from Oporto. Enough was 
 obtained for three of us to pull out the next morning at 2 A. M. One 
 broke down and went aground at the mouth of the harbor, leaving the 
 "214" and "253" to make the run down the Coast alone. After two 
 days' good weather, the wind howled around to the northwest again, 
 and that eighteen-hour run was the worst I've ever had in a chaser. 
 The seas were tremendous, and time and again the truck light of the 
 "214," 40 feet above water, would disappear from my view — and yet 
 she was a scant 200 yards astern. We made Lisbon next night and 
 dropped anchor in the roads. Perhaps I can best describe the force of 
 the wind by saying that I was swinging to 65 fathom of chain in 9 
 fathom of water — yet when I raised the anchor next morning the 
 shank was bent at right angles. 
 
 We had little time to enjoy beautiful Lisbon, for it was a case of 
 taking all day to cut the international red tape to obtain fuel. We 
 
92 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 gassed all night and pulled out early next morning. We were lucky to 
 get out at all, as some of the men from my ship had gone ashore the 
 night before as broke as sailors could be who had not been paid for a 
 month. They ran up quite a bill at a cafe and then took French leave. 
 Next morning the proprietor and the police were on the dock and I 
 had to haul out in the stream P.D.Q. to avoid international com- 
 plication. 
 
 We made Gibraltar Straits next morning just in time to see the 
 last of the torpedoed British battleship "Brittania" — to see the destroyer 
 "Parker" miss destruction by about 6 ft. and take up the hunt ourselves 
 immediately. I certainly admire that Hun's nerve. After stealing 
 through the Straits he hung around awhile and got a battleship. 
 
 That night we ran into port, fuelled, and formed our force on 
 barrage the next day. 
 
 The weather was still against us, as a No. 6 wind from the east 
 had raised a nasty chop against the westerly set of the current, but the 
 five days the chasers were on barrage were sufficient to obtain credit 
 for three sinkings divided among the eleven of us. It was exciting, 
 soul-satisfying work, none the less interesting, because a British de- 
 stroyer mistook the "214" and "253" for subs and promptly opened fire, 
 or because a newly arrived Brazilian cruiser thought sure the "190" 
 was a Hun and fired twelve rounds from her bow guns before recog- 
 nizing the flag — and this at 11 A. M. 
 
 And then the armistice — a stirring race to port, a shift to shore 
 clothes and a shave, and the finest, craziest time of the whole war. 
 
 We lay in Gibraltar for a month and a half — every one bent on 
 doing the same things — as little work as possible and having all the fun 
 there was. There were trips to Africa and others to Spain — to Alge- 
 ciras, where there is the daintiest hotel in all Europe — afternoon tea 
 with the "Limies," at the Grand or Cecil, and many evenings of related 
 experiences. 
 
 We left on December 23 for the Azores, and spent Christmas at 
 sea. It was hardly a jovial day, and a "Merry Christmas" frequently 
 called forth considerable cursing, but there was real thanksgiving, too, 
 for we were homeward bound. This time our stop at Ponta Delgada 
 was but a hurried one and the day after New Year's found us headed 
 for the Virgin Islands in the West Indies. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 93 
 
 That was a sixteen-day run — a repetition of the other long one — 
 weather ideal, with frequent mid-ocean swims when we stopped to fuel. 
 
 Bad news awaited us at Charlotte Amalie, for visions of seeing 
 the dear old Estats Unis were rudely dissipated. Instead of proceed- 
 ing to Charleston, the entire fleet was disbanded and distributed 
 throughout the West Indies. Six of us went to Haiti — those two old 
 cronies the "21-1:" and "253" still sticking together. Uur experience in 
 the negro republic was probably the most interesting of all. Our 
 marines had made many improvements in the few years of their stay. 
 Port au Prince, the capital, had been cleaned up, roads built, police 
 forces established, but the bulk of the population, particularly outside 
 of the city, lived as their ancestors had lived in Africa. To the blase 
 tourist I recommend Haiti, for there can he find the typical palm- 
 bordered shore of the tropics, the heat-ridden plains of India, and the 
 mountainous beauties of our own country. Adventure awaits him as 
 well, for few white men have been able to explore the interior alone. 
 
 In Haiti our W'anderings ceased, for after six weeks' stay there 
 three of us proceeded to New Orleans for repairs, arriving on April 2. 
 And it was there, in a home port, I left the "253." I took her over and 
 1 had the satisfaction of bringing her back. Perhaps her journeys 
 are not ended, but at least her war-time chapter has been written to 
 complelion " 
 
94 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 ! ■/■■%// 
 
 %, v.'. . 
 
 'i'X'/'!:', 
 
Chapter VII 
 THE OTRANTO BARRAGE 
 
 IT was in order to bottle up the submarine bases of the Austrian 
 Coast that a cordon of vessels was thrown across the neck of the 
 Adriatic from the heel of Italy to the Island of Corfu. This 
 section, patrolled as it was continuously by several lines of vessels, 
 was known as the Otranto Barrage, and I think the American Sub- 
 marine Chasers deserve most of the credit for making it so efficient 
 that submarine troubles in the Mediterranean were practically elimi- 
 nated. The work of the Chasers on the Otranto Barrage is characteris- 
 tic of that done by our little vessels abroad. The duties were much 
 like those of the S. C.'s working out of Plymouth, England, and the 
 French ports and the story which follows gives a graphic account of 
 this particular phase of our activities. Lieut. Walter P. Groszman, 
 U. S. N. R. F., told me the story, and here it is as it was written by 
 him for Motor Boat : 
 
 It was at Ponta Delgada, on Sunday, May 5, 1918, that our bluff 
 skipper, Capt. Chas. P. Nelson, U. S. N., commanding U. S. S. 
 ''Leonidas," our Mother Ship, called a meeting of all of us command- 
 ing officers to impart some important information. Until then none 
 of us knew what our ultimate destination was to be, and curiosity, of 
 course, ran high. 
 
 In his usual straight from the shoulder, enthusiastic way he opened 
 up with, "Well, boys, I wouldn't swap my job with anybody, either in 
 heaven or on earth, for we have the greatest little assignment for 
 hunting Huns that one could wish for." From that day on we were 
 his "gang of Hun hunters." 
 
 He then proceeded to tell us of the frightfully successful sub- 
 marine activities in the Mediterranean, where a higher percentage of 
 tonnage was being destroyed than in any other like area of sea, and 
 that it was our job to stop it. 
 
 Corfu, Greece, was to be our base, so about 2,800 miles of travel 
 still lay before us. 
 
 Gibraltar was, of course, our next stop, and it was there that we 
 
96 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 got our first taste of "Hun hunting." Necessary minor repairs were 
 being made by all of us preparatory for our next run to Malta, when 
 a hurry call came from the Mother Ship, which summoned all com- 
 manding officers aboard. Two submarines had been reported out in 
 the Straits, and the British admiral had asked if we were ready and 
 willing to assist in destroying them. If you knew our "big skipper" 
 you might be able to imagine how that politely put inquiry must have 
 affected him. Just what words he used in his answer I don't know, 
 but probably it was a very explosive "Of course we are ready, sir !" 
 
 We got hurried instructions, and as soon as we could get back to 
 our ships the whole fleet of 30 chasers, lame ducks and all, shoved off 
 and, under the leadership of Captain Nelson, stood out into the Straits. 
 
 There had been little time for planning the hunt, except in a gen- 
 eral way, and the units, consisting of three chasers each, were left 
 pretty much to their own resources. It was the first time that our 
 listeners had heard an enemy sub, but, after hunting all afternoon and 
 night, our efforts were brought to a successful close, one submarine 
 being sunk by depth charges and the other driven ashore, disabled, 
 on Spanish territory, where it was forced to intern. We all felt pretty 
 cocky over our i)arty, and Captain Nelson gave out grunt after grunt 
 of satisfaction. 
 
 Next to the feeling of satisfaction over getting the subs was the 
 realization of the prestige which we gained with the English. Wher- 
 ever we had come into contact with them before we had noticed a 
 very decided attitude of tolerant indulgence, a sort of "You'll have to 
 show us" spirit. When we made good on our first attempt it knocked 
 that attitude clean out of them, never to return. On our run from 
 Gibraltar to Malta the dastardly destructive work of the submarine 
 was made only too clear to us. Every few miles we ran into clusters 
 of wreckage, hatches, deck chests, all kinds of ships' gear that would 
 float, besides bales and boxes of cargo. It made one heartsick to think 
 of all this wanton destruction, and no doubt caused the resolve in the 
 hearts of all of us to do our utmost to stop it and to punish those 
 engaged in this nefarious work. 
 
 In Malta we stopped only long enough to be drydocked for a final 
 cleaning and painting of the hull. On June 2 nine of us were sent on 
 to our final port, Corfu, there to await the rest of the fleet. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 97 
 
 Early in the morning of June 4 we arrived off the south entrance 
 to Corfu Roads, the beautiful body of water separating the Island of 
 Corfu from the mainland of Greece. We were met and challenged by 
 a fussy little French torpedo-boat and then escorted through the elab- 
 orate mine fields and nets up to what was to be our own base. Otir 
 reception, as we slowly steamed into the harbor, was most impressive 
 and stands out in my memory as one of the big moments to be remem- 
 bered always. 
 
 Little is known by the general public of Corfu, but during the latter 
 part of this war it was the most important center on the Mediter- 
 ranean. France had assembled there a mighty fleet of her finest 
 dreadnoughts to act as a buffer for any naval aspirations that Austria 
 and Germanv might have had from their big naval bases on the 
 Adriatic. The English had a base there for drifters, trawlers, destroy- 
 ers and cruisers, and there were also Italian war craft there most of 
 the time. At this time also was Corfu the seat of the Serbian Gov- 
 ernment. 
 
 It was through this assembled mighty Allied fleet that our small 
 American submarine chasers slowly steamed, and it was with fast 
 beating hearts that we answered their salutes. All the big "battle 
 wagons" had their rails and rigging manned, and the silent homage 
 that these big fellows were paying to the good old U. S. A. as repre- 
 sented bv our tiny craft surely went deep. 
 
 In what became know n as American Bay we dropped our mud hoolvs 
 and surveyed what we were informed was to be our base. It looked 
 — well, peaceful. Simply an ancient olive grove. Visions of "working 
 parties" loomed large in the minds of the crews. Visions sometimes 
 come true, and this was one of the times. 
 
 A few days later the Leonidas arrived with the rest of the chaser 
 fleet, and work began. Work on the base, however, was not allowed 
 to interfere with what we came there to do, namely, hunt subs, so the 
 following day, June 12, twelve of us went to sea for our fir.st "barrage." 
 
 To get a good idea of the strategic value of our field of endeavor, 
 a glance at a chart of the Adriatic Sea will show its importance. Prac- 
 tically all the submarines which operated in the Mediterranean had 
 their bases on the Adriatic, at Durazzo, Cataro, Pola, etc., and, of 
 course, in order to go out from and to return to these bases, had to 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OE THE FLEET 99 
 
 pass through the Straits of Otranto. Could, therefore, a barrage of 
 properly equipped ships be kept across this comparatively narrow 
 strip of water, about 52 miles, then the sub could be caught coming 
 and going. For quite some time before our arrival such a barrage 
 had been operated by the British, using for the purpose drifters, trawl- 
 ers, motor launches (M. L.'s) and a few destroyers. 
 
 Their equipment, though rather inferior to ours, had yet enabled 
 them to make their presence felt and establish the value of the scheme. 
 So we were hurried to the spot with our admittedly superior devices. 
 
 \\ hat value was attached by the Germans to the barrage, was shown 
 by the fact that only a few weeks before our arrival they had made a 
 surface raid on the line and sunk every ship that was on patrol, four- 
 teen in all. 
 
 The general scheme was that our twelve chasers formed a line 
 across the straits from Cape de Leuca, the southernmost point on the 
 heel of Italy, eastward to Fano Island. About ten miles to the north 
 was a line of drifters and trawlers and closer inshore were M. L.'s. 
 As a protecting screen to the north, a line of British destroyers patroled. 
 For support in case of a surface raid by destroyers and light cruisers, 
 a flying squadron of light, fast vessels was held at Brindisi, Italy. This 
 organization varied from time to time, so that the enemy could never 
 be sure of just where he might encounter us. 
 
 Strange as it may seem, yet only one enemy sub was seen on the 
 surface during all the months that this barrage was maintained. It 
 made no difference to us whether he came through under or on the 
 water, for with our listening gear we could hear him much farther 
 than we could see him. 
 
 In the hunting three chasers worked together as a unit, the unit 
 leader being the center vessel in a line abeam formation. A chaser 
 hearing a suspicious sound would telephone the magnetic direction to 
 his unit leader. The other wing vessel's sound angle would also be 
 obtained. The bearings at which all three vessels are hearing are then 
 plotted, and, naturally, the point at which all three lines intersect is 
 the location of the source of sound. Knowing the distance between 
 the chasers, it was then a simple matter of triangulation to determine 
 the distance off. 
 
 After a number of these operations it was possible to obtain the 
 
100 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Reproduced by conrtcsy of Ensign Frank U\ Nolan, U.S.N.R.F. 
 
 Reproduction of a chart of the Adriatic taken from a German submarine. 
 
 sub's course and speed and gradually work up into position for attack. 
 When sure of his position a pattern of eighteen depth charges was 
 laid which certainly caused a commotion that would strike terror into 
 the stoutest heart. 
 
 The theory is very simple and was very successful, but yet there 
 were many things that had to be overcome. The sub skipper always 
 knew when he was being pursued, for a submarine is in itself a huge 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OE THE ELEET 101 
 
 listening device, and therefore used every means at his disposal to 
 throw us off the scent. They would zig-zag, making it hard for us 
 to get them fixed long enotigh for an attack, stop their engines when 
 we stopped for listening. The latter availed them little, for we knew 
 just how long a submarine could "balance," as it is known, and simply 
 out-waited them. The work required much patience before the attack 
 and mighty quick action when the right moment had arrived. 
 
 After an attack had been delivered it was necessary to continue 
 listening for some time. They would simulate destruction by releasing 
 oil from their tanks, also allow air to escape in the hope of making us 
 think that our job was done and we then would move away satisfied. 
 Those tactics availed them nothing, for we were good waiters and hung 
 around until all doubts of destruction had been dispelled. 
 
 From the first day that our chasers assumed duty until the armis- 
 tice a full strength barrage was maintained regardless of weather con- 
 ditions, with the result that Submarine Chaser Detachment Two is 
 officially credited with fo.urteen submarines. 
 
 The life was certainly not surrounded by any comforts, for our 
 tour of duty was five days at sea and three in port, with sea watches 
 of four hours on and four off. The climate in those latitudes is very 
 fine, but if anybody can show me a meaner body of water than the 
 Adriatic I should like to see it. The sudden gales that howl down 
 from the Albanian mountains whip up the sea in a frightful manner. 
 Many a day cooking was an impossibihty and eating became a fine 
 art, of the impressionistic school, to be sure, plastered all over one's 
 person, as it were. 
 
 Fritz, too, seemed to take a delight in adding to our discomforts 
 by choosing nights for his time for trying to sneak through. That 
 usually meant an all-night hunt, with all hands at general quarters, 
 tearing around in the darkness at full speed, hoping that a stray float- 
 ing mine doesn't get you before you get him. Our luck held to the end, 
 though. During daylight we found many mines that had been sown 
 by Fritz to reap a harvest of chasers, but during our night running a 
 protecting angel must have flown with us, for none of them ever 
 found its mark. 
 
 At Otranto, Italy, an Allied airplane station was located which the 
 enemy seemed to have a particidar dislike for. They never seemed to 
 
102 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 The crew of the "327" as the loved ones at home pictured them and as they 
 
 looked on the Otranto Barrage. Lieut. Walter P. Groszman, at the left, has been 
 
 awarded the Navy Cross. 
 
w 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 103 
 
 tire of raiding it. I witnessed three such raids from out at sea, and 
 wonderful sights they were. Suddenly a shrapnel shell would be seen 
 bursting high up over the city, and then for an hour the bombard- 
 ment Avould continue. Weird sights they were. 
 
 On the Albanian side could be seen, also at night, the heavy ar- 
 tillery fire from the Balkan line. 
 
 Surface raids by the enemy were the bug-bear that constantly hung 
 over our heads, for the more effective we became the greater became 
 their desire to annihilate us. Fortunately, our intelligence sources 
 :ere always able to get the information of contemplated raids, and in 
 turn theirs found out that we knew of their plans, causing them to 
 give up for the time being. Had hostilities continued very much 
 longer, they no doubt would have gotten down sometime without us 
 having been forewarned and then there would not have been so manv 
 chasers to return to the home port. 
 
 Our chasers, under certain conditions of light, resembled sub- 
 marines so much that on numerous occasions we were fired upon by 
 friendly vessels. There were, of course, recognition signals, and the 
 failure to give an instantaneous reply to a challenge, drew a shot. 
 To appreciate the alertness necessary in this respect alone, just picture 
 yourself in the center of a large circle on a dark night. A light flashed 
 for just a second, somewhere on the circumference, must be caught 
 and recognized and the proper reply made. If the eye does not happen 
 to catch that flash then the next flash in all probability will be from 
 the mouth of a gun and a shell dropped somewhere close aboard. 
 ^^'e were working on the orders of shoot first and investigate after- 
 wards and an unanswered challenge meant an enemy, and we could 
 not continue to challenge because it would give the enemy a very 
 definite point to fire at. 
 
 On one occasion a unit of chasers had worked pretty well toward 
 the north in pursuit of a sub on a particularly dark night when a sur- 
 face vessel was very dimly made out some 800 yards distant. The 
 challenge was made but remainerl unanswered. The commanding 
 officer of the leading chaser knew that he was near the line where the 
 British destroyers should be patroling, and, thinking that it was prob- 
 ably one of them, wanted to make sure, so he challenged again. No 
 response was forthcoming so he let go with the three inch. He got 
 
104 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 a direct hit right into the boiler room of what proved to be a British 
 destroyer after all. The destroyer was entirely disabled and had to 
 be towed to port. Just why they had failed to answer the challenge 
 we never did find out, but, of course, the blame lay entirely with the 
 destroyer. It only goes to show that everybody had to be on the 
 job every second of the time that he was on watch. 
 
 On the night of September 29 twelve of us were ordered to sea, 
 very mysteriously, destination unknown. That something important 
 was afoot we knew from the fact that Captain Nelson himself was 
 leading the squadron, aboard one of the chasers, and each chaser had 
 taken aboard a hospital apprentice and some extra radio men. The 
 next day, at noon, we arrived in Brindisi, Italy, and were then informed 
 that we were to take part in the big bombardment of Durazzo on the 
 Albanian coast. Durazzo was not only a submarine base but also the 
 port of entry and supply for the Austrians along the Albanian front. 
 Its destruction would materially affect both their sea and land forces. 
 
 It was to be quite an ambitious undertaking. Durazzo is on a 
 large semicircular bay, protected by numerous mine fields and nets, 
 both inside and outside of the bay. Along the shores and on the 
 heights of the bay were seven or eight heavy batteries under whose 
 guns we had to work. 
 
 Three Italian battle cruisers and three British light cruisers con- 
 stituted the main offensive, while destroyers, torpedo boats and our 
 chasers brought the attacking squadron up to about 35 vessels. There 
 were also 45 airplanes in the engagement, some for bombing and some 
 for fire direction. To avoid a possible attack from the Austro-German 
 fleet from the north, a screen of British, French and Italian ships of 
 various types had been sent about 50 miles to the north of Durazzo. 
 
 Our part of the work was to screen the larger vessels against sub- 
 marine attack and to prevent the escape of any vessels from the harbor. 
 
 All day of Tuesday, October 1, we were busy with our prepara- 
 tions. Provisions were made for the destruction of the ships in the 
 event of imminent capture, for a U. S. ship may never surrender. 
 Means were provided for the last minute disposal of all code books, 
 confidential publications and the like, ammunition was tested, guns 
 tried out, in fact everything brought up to the highest point of per- 
 fection. After all the mechanical appliances had been gone over, the 
 
THE CIXDEKELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 105 
 
 The Otranto Barrage from the heel of Italy to the Island of Corfu. 
 
 men themselves got theirs. Navy regulations provide that before 
 going into battle the men shall bathe and put on clean clothing, to 
 guard, as much as possible, against infection in case of wounds. It 
 was not until they were ordered to bathe that the men seemed to 
 realize what lay before them. The usual good-natured banter was 
 just a little more boisterous than usual and their spirits never flagged. 
 
 It was a 90-mile run to Durazzo, and the chasers were to leave at 
 3.30 A. M., followed at intervals first by the Italians and then the 
 British. 
 
 One of our chasers had the misfortune to wrap a wire hawser 
 around one of her propellers in leaving her berth at Brindisi, and, 
 while the rest went on, I was ordered to stand by to help her get 
 clear. After an hour's delay it was necessary to leave her behind as 
 it was impossible to clear the propeller without a diver. Brindisi 
 harbor is very intricate and narrow, and in the pitch blackness of 
 
106 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 that early morning I was hard put to find my way out. I had never 
 been there before, was unfamiliar with its mine and net defenses, 
 navigation lights, of course, not permitted, but after sweating blood 
 for about an hour, found myself in what I thought was open water. 
 Later it developed that I had run for 12 miles through a mine field. 
 Those mines were set at a depth of about 2 feet greater than my 
 draft, but a considerable sea was running, which should have dipped 
 me down onto them. Again a guardian angel was sailing with me, 
 for we hit nary a one. After an hour's run at full speed the rest of 
 the chasers were picked up ahead. 
 
 Arrived ofi: Durazzo we waited for the Italian battle-cruisers, 
 whose smoke could already be seen on the horizon. 
 
 The shore batteries got busy as soon as we got fairly in range, 
 but we just cruised around and kept them guessing as to what was 
 coming off. As soon as the big ships came up, three chasers took 
 positions on either flank of the column and accompanied them over 
 their firing sector with every faculty alert to the first sign of a sub. 
 Three chasers were detailed to guard the north entrance and two of 
 us at the south entrance. 
 
 Shells from the land batteries were by this time coming seaward 
 pretty fast, but our steaming zig-zag at full speed kept us away from 
 the immediate spots where the shells fell. Some came pretty close, 
 but then a miss is as good as a mile. 
 
 The unit at the north entrance had the most interesting time. A 
 hospital ship that was in the harbor steamed out at the beginning of 
 the engagement and some submarines apparently used it as a screen. 
 They all came out of the north entrance and it wasn't long before 
 our boys were after them. A periscope was sighted and was shot 
 away by the first shot from a chaser. A dash was made for the 
 spot and depth charges dropped. There was no room for doubt as 
 to that sub's demise, for he was literally blown to pieces. 
 
 Another sub showed for a moment and a dash was made for him, 
 and even though he also was destroyed, still he had gotten off a 
 torpedo which struck the stern of H. M. S. Weymotith, killing two 
 men and blowing off about 1 5 feet of her stern. 
 
 In making the attack on one of these subs the switches on the 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 107 
 
 chaser were thrown out by the force of the first depth charge ex- 
 plosion, stopping the engines. The commanding officer knew that 
 the sub was just beneath him and another charge should be dropped. 
 His attention was called to the fact that his ship was stopped and 
 would probably be blown up if he dropped a bomb, but he simply 
 yelled, "This is war, to hell with safety first, let her go." The charge 
 was dropped and though the chaser was badly shaken up no serious 
 damage resulted. 
 
 My own unit had really little to do. We almost had a little pri- 
 vate party with a destroyer that seemed to think that the south 
 entrance offered an avenue of escape, there being onlv two chasers 
 there, but when we steamed in to meet him he had a change of heart 
 and turned back to seek the protection of the shore batteries. It was 
 really ludicrous, for he had at least six guns of from four to six inches 
 against our two three-inch, but I guess Yankee bluff looked good to 
 him. He was later blown up by two British destroyers who followed 
 him into the harbor and by some beautiful team work landed a salvo 
 of six shots right into him, sending him into kingdom come amid a 
 cloud of spray and steam. Unfortunately we could not be in at the 
 finish, for we had certain prescribed limits to patrol and so could not 
 leave them. 
 
 The net result of two and a half hours' work was the complete 
 silencing of all the shore batteries, Durazzo a pile of dust and flames, 
 five transports and two destroyers sunk, a hospital ship captured and 
 several thousand men killed. In other words, a finished job. Our own 
 losses were only two killed on H. M. S. Weymouth when she was 
 torpedoed. 
 
 In the blowing oft' of her stern the Weymouth lost her rudder, 
 but proceeded back to Brindisi under her own power, steering with 
 her engines. It was, of course, necessary for her to proceed slowly, 
 so a screen of destroyers and our chasers accompanied her back to 
 port. 
 
 It was rather a history-making day for our little chasers, for it is 
 the only major engagement of the war in which American vessels 
 took part. 
 
 After our party at Durazzo we went l)ack to our barrage duty, and 
 
108 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 it was only a month later that Austria read the handwriting on the 
 wall and wisely decided that it was a losing fight. 
 
 With the signing of the armistice our work became one of mercy 
 and investigation among the Jugo-Slavs in Dalmatia. Much valuable 
 information for our Government was gathered, and our flag was 
 shown in many little ports where it had never before been seen. With 
 the completion of that work, the war duty of our wonderful little 
 vessels came to an end and our thoughts were turned to our loved 
 ones at home. 
 
 It was not a propitious season for chasers to cross the Atlantic, 
 so our skipper got permission to make use of the intervening time to 
 see a little of the brighter things, and an itinerary of the most in- 
 teresting ports of the Mediterranean was arranged. 
 
 Right then we changed from "Hun Hunters" to "Fun Hunters." 
 
Chapter \'111 
 
 He)\\' IT FEELS TO SINK A SUBMARINE* 
 
 By Maclear Jacoby, Lieut, {j.g.) L;.S.N.R.F. 
 
 ON October 12, 1917, I was assigned to duty as commanding 
 officer of the U. S. Submarine Chaser No. 129, outfitting at 
 Norfolk for distant service. Like the other sub-chasers, the 
 "129" underwent the usual trials and tribulations of this sort of craft 
 in getting from the United States to where the enemy submarines were 
 most active. My place of action was the Adriatic Sea. The "129" 
 arrived there on the 12th of June, 1918, and immediately took up the 
 severe and tedious patrol duty on the Otranto Barrage line. 
 
 On September 30 we received orders to prepare to get under way 
 at 9 p. m. on a secret mission in company with eleven other chasers. 
 This savored of something very good after months of never ending 
 cruising between the Island of Corfu and the heel of Italy listening 
 for the Hun. 
 
 Captain Nelson was in command on the "S. C. 95" when the little 
 squadron cast off from the mooring buoys at the designated time. 
 Great was our joy when we headed north — this meant something doing 
 in the upper Adriatic. Often we had speculated among ourselves on 
 the chances of raiding an enemy submarine base, such as Cattaro, 
 Pola or Durazzo. Needless to say, everyone was most anxious to try 
 conclusions with the enemy and no one welcomed the chance more 
 than I did. 
 
 The following morning, October 1, we arrived at Brindisi. With 
 the customary snap which always characterized Captain Nelson's sub- 
 marine chasers, we steamed past the nets and past several large Italian 
 and English cruisers. After making fast to the dock the first order 
 that came around was one of just three words, "No liberty ashore." 
 Something was in the air. 
 
 That afternoon all officers were called together on the "95" for 
 what we were fain to call "hot dope." And it sure was hot. In 
 
 * Reprinted from Motor Boat. 
 
110 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 conjunction with the Itahan and English cruisers we were to par- 
 ticipate in a bombardment of the enemy port of Durazzo, Albania. 
 Various instructions were given out as to the plan of action to be 
 taken. Quite a discussion arose as to what method was the best to 
 use in destroying a chaser, if one should be in immediate danger of 
 capture. It was finally decided to set them on fire if the occasion 
 should arise for so doing. After this, all hands repaired to their 
 respective ships and prepared all ordnance gear for immediate use 
 on the morrow. All hands worked far into the night loading machine 
 gun belts, pistols, shining up bayonets, overhauling breech mechanisms 
 on the 3 inch and "Y" gun, and all depth charges were carefully 
 inspected as to their readiness for dropping. 
 
 The chasers got under way the next morning at 4 a. m. (2 a. m. 
 G. M. T.), and stood out of the harbor; that is, all except the "244," 
 which had the misfortune to wind up some wire rope in her propeller, 
 necessitating a diver. There were then eleven chasers that actually 
 went to Durazzo. Durazzo is a semi-circular shaped port, really an 
 open roadstead. It is, however, quite important commercially, being 
 the chief seaport in Albania, with railway connections to the interior. 
 The Germans were using it as a base to send in supplies to help the 
 Bulgarians and also a harbor of refuge for their submarines going up 
 or down the Adriatic. It was for these reasons that the Allied forces 
 were bombarding the town and whatever ships might be lying in the 
 roadstead. After demolishing the place troops were to be landed and 
 the country occupied. No doubt if the war had continued Durazzo 
 would have been used as an Allied base for operations from the land 
 upon Cattaro and other enemy ports. 
 
 The Italian and British cruisers were to leave Brindisi at 7 a. m. 
 and make a speed of 18 knots to Durazzo — a distance of 60 miles. 
 We averaged 10 knots and timed our departure so as to arrive of? 
 the Albanian coast at the same time as the Allied ships. Down in 
 our hearts we were hoping for a little fun all alone before the big 
 boys arrived. 
 
 About 9 :30 the dim outlines of the rugged Albanian coast hove 
 into view. On we eleven Chasers came nearing the coast at every 
 turn of the propellers. It more than once crossed my mind what the 
 Austrians said when they saw eleven little American ensigns snapping 
 
THE CI.VDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 HI 
 
 Pnut liafh h\ cJiirtcsy of Ensign Alfred Loomis. U.S.\'.R.!-. 
 
 Lieut. Jacoby takes a sight from tlie bridge of the "129" — note the gold star 
 
 above the crow's nest awarded for sinking a suli at the liattle of Durazzo, Jacoby 
 
 has been awarded the Navy Cross. 
 
112 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 in the breeze and boldly approaching the coast. Perhaps they laughed 
 at our size, but I am inclined to think that our presence cast a de- 
 cidedly dark cloud across their hopes. 
 
 We were within five miles of the coast when a smudge on the 
 horizon indicated the big ships. The signal was hoisted to take as- 
 signed positions. My position was last boat in a unit of three Chasers 
 assigned as a screen to the British light cruisers, when they rounded 
 their turning point off Cape Pali preparatory to coming into the 
 bombarding sector. Cape Pali is the northern cape at the entrance to 
 the harbor of Durazzo, as you will see from the diagram. 
 
 Our tmit was known as "Unit B" and was commanded by Lieut. 
 Wilden A. Ott, U. S. N., aboard the "S. C. 215," considered the 
 fastest Chaser at Corfu. Aboard the "215" was Lieut. Commander 
 Paul H. Bastedo, U. S. N., who was in command of the unit for this 
 special occasion. The other Chaser in the unit was the "128," com- 
 manded by Ensign H. R. Chambers and ably assisted by Ensign 
 H. A. Ball. 
 
 Besides myself in the "129" was Ensign B. F. Hiscock, a real old 
 Florida fisherman, who knew seamanship and the handling of small 
 craft from A to Z. Backing up the ofificers was a crackerjack crew, 
 composed mostly of regular navy men, all seasoned veterans. In 
 charge of the gun crew was Chief Boatswain Mate M. M. Padgett, a 
 navy man who had seen twelve years' service; at the "Y" gun was 
 H. F. Oliver, a machinist mate, and sitting on the stern with a large 
 knife duly and carefully sharpened with childlike devotion was N. M. 
 Walden, also one of the engine-room force. These men had been 
 carefully chosen for their jobs and great confidence was placed in their 
 ability to do the right thing at the right moment. There were three 
 men in the engine-room and the rest of the crew were at their regular 
 stations. I was in the pilot house and Mr. Hiscock was on top. Thus 
 we went into the bay. 
 
 With engines going at full speed we steamed into position, steering 
 a northeasterly course. While proceeding on this base course all the 
 fun started. On my starboard beam were the shore batteries of Cape 
 Pali, firing as rapidly as they could get the guns to bear. We could 
 easily make out the red flashes, then the splash of a shell explosion. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE I-'LEET 113 
 
 One salvo from the shore batteries hit the H. M. S. "Weymouth" and 
 damaged the foretop. 
 
 At precisely 10 :40 a lookout reported a moving feather on our 
 port beam. Being in the pilot house at the time, I could not see it. 
 Mr. Hiscock immediately picked it up. There was no time to lose. 
 I decided therefore to get this fellow myself. 
 
 "Give her left rudder," I directed the wheelman. 
 
 Turning gradually to the left and directed by Mr. Hiscock, I 
 brought the periscope directly ahead. Allowing for his course, it was 
 my intention to sneak up on him and cross his course and when 
 right in front of him let go all depth charges. He was distant from me 
 about 1600 yards. 
 
 I had covered about 800 yards of this distance when I heard the 
 hoarse shriek of my whistle. Too late ! Some one had stepped on 
 the whistle on top of the pilot house, thereby giving a signal to let 
 go a charge. Despite my frantic endeavors, Walden rolled a charge 
 overboard and it went off with a tremendous bang at 50 feet. My 
 heart sank, for surely this crash would make the submarine submerge. 
 
 Keeping my eyes on his feather, I saw the periscope come out of 
 the water. He had come up a little, thereby showing his second peri- 
 scope. The explosion of the premature depth charge must have shook 
 him up. By this time I was almost on top of him. Leaning out of 
 the pilot house window, and with my eyes glued on him, I rang the 
 whistle cord for a "fare." It was immediately forthcoming — four 
 times I rang for a depth charge. These charges went off directly 
 across his course and the periscope disappeared. I thought surely at 
 the time I would ram him. Just by the merest chance he slipped under 
 me. After firing these four I turned to the left and gave the signal 
 to let go the "Y" gun. At the same time one more from the stern was 
 discharged, this last one at 150 feet. 
 
 These last three explosions put the engines out of commission for 
 a moment. On every side vast quantities of oil were rising, together 
 with many bubbles. While resting in that position one of the crew 
 reported a boiling patch of water. Sure enough, on my port beam 
 one could see a sort of geyser rising, undoubtedly an air tank, a 
 conclusive proof that the submarine had received a vital blow. 
 
 By this time we had gotten the engines going again — the explosion 
 
114 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
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 SUBMAP.IHE CHASERS 
 
 LIGHT CRUISERS 
 
 Plan of the Battle of Durazzo from a sketch hy Lieut. Jacoby. 
 
 of the depth charges had thrown every switch out of the switchboard. 
 The "128" and "215" came alongside at this moment and I reported 
 to Lieut. Commander Bastedo that I had gotten a submarine. The 
 three vessels then proceeded in toward the coast to pick up an enemy 
 hospital ship. The bombarding ships had by this time completed their 
 bombardment and had made off for Brindisi. 
 
 The hospital ship was seen in the distance escorted by British 
 destroyers and having on board a British armed guard. We acted 
 as escort to the "Baron Call," as it was later found to be, and set 
 course for Brindisi. The hospital ship was found to be of no value 
 and later was returned to Durazzo. 
 
 So much for the bombardment of Durazzo. You all know what 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET U5 
 
 the other Chasers did, especially the "128" and "215,'' who got a 
 submarine between them. 
 
 Before passing, I want to show you an example of quick thinking, 
 performed by Ensign Henry R. Dann, temporarily in command of the 
 "S. C. 130." While screening the Italian cruisers he spotted a floating 
 mine directly in the path of the oncoming British destroyers. There 
 was no time to sink the mine, but with a quick presence of mind he 
 laid his ship alongside the obstacle, in the course of the Britishers. 
 The result was that the destroyers had to sheer out to avoid hitting 
 the Chaser. Undoubtedly this quick work prevented the loss of a de- 
 stroyer. 
 
 People have asked me why the submarine did not see me. In my 
 judgment the submarine was so intent on getting ready to let go a 
 torpedo at the "Weymouth," a British light cruiser, that he never 
 noticed the little Chaser sneaking up on his wake. 
 
 The author had occasion after the armistice to visit the German 
 submarine base at Cattaro and found it to be most well equipped 
 in everything that a submarine has use for. Many interesting souve- 
 nirs were collected at this base and the engineers reported that German 
 waste was found to be better for the Standard engines than our own 
 article. To illustrate the efficiency of the intelligence branch of the 
 Austro-German navy : I found on one of the Austrian battleships a 
 picture of the "Weymouth" with her stern torpedoed, which picture 
 the Austrian officer explained had been secured just after the bombard- 
 ment. I was most anxious to find out particulars about the submarines 
 at Durazzo, but never could get anything definite. 
 
 After the armistice the "129" went to Athens, Greece, where it 
 became a unit for the Red Cross distributing supplies throughout the 
 islands in the Aegean Sea. This service was followed by similar 
 work around Constantinople. On May 25, 1919, the "129" sailed for 
 home, mounting a star for her efforts at Durazzo. It was a proud 
 moment when we sailed up New York Bay, bringing to a successful 
 conclusion a 30,000-mile cruise. 
 
Chapter IX 
 FARTHEST NORTH IN A CHASER 
 
 IT is not generally appreciated that the Chasers reached Archangel. 
 They did, and their cruise up the Norwegian coast and around 
 
 North Cape, far into the Arctic Circle, is one of the most interest- 
 ing exploits in the short but spectacular career of these little ships. 
 It is particularly noteworthy in that during this jaunt of nearly seven 
 thousand miles the three vessels of the detachment were "on their own" 
 without the possibility of anv outside mechanical help. My friend, 
 Lieutenant (j. g.) G. S. Dole, veteran of the Otranto Barrage and 
 wearer of the Navy Cross, was in command of No. 354, the flagship, 
 and his story of the cruise follows :* 
 
 After having participated in practically every phase of naval ac- 
 tivity in which the forces of the United States engaged during the 
 war, two major operations yet remained in which the Submarine 
 Chasers were destined to take part ; first, our land forces in northern 
 Russia were clamoring for naval assistance to insure their immediate 
 relief and, secondly, a mine field consisting of more than fifty-three 
 thousand mines covering an area of some six thousand square miles of 
 the North Sea formed a menace to navigation demanding speedy re- 
 moval. 
 
 The north Russian Expedition, as the expedition for the relief of 
 the United States Land Forces in north Russia was known, is unique 
 in the history of the Submarine Chasers in that for fifty-three days 
 they operated without repair ships or bases, and covered a distance of 
 6,950 miles. Their mission was to cooperate with the United States, 
 Russian and Allied military and naval forces in northern Russia, prin- 
 cipally in establishing and keeping open commvmications between 
 widely separated military and naval units. 
 
 The story of the Russian detachment of Submarine Chasers begins 
 at Lisbon, Portugal, where the detachment assembled and received its 
 equipment of guns and ammunition in preparation for the expedition. 
 On the 10th of April it left Lisbon for Inverness, via Brest, France, 
 
 * Reprinted tlirougli the courtesy of Motor Boat. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 117 
 
 where we received more supplies, Milford Haven, and the Caledonian 
 Canal, a distance of 1380 miles. 
 
 The period of preparation at Inverness consumed nearly as much 
 time as the actual expedition and operations that followed. To meet 
 the conditions of the Arctic Sea it was necessary to go into drydock, 
 overhaul all underwater fittings, and secure metal sheathing for pro- 
 tection from ice. Nothing was left undone to put the boats in the best 
 possible shape for the tasks that lay before them. Also numerous 
 stores, winter clothing and supplies had to be taken aboard, a British 
 tanker had to be loaded with extra supplies and spare ammunition be- 
 fore we were ready to start north. 
 
 On the 6th of June our little detachment consisting of the U. S. 
 Submarine Chasers Nos. 354, 95, 256 and the H. M. S. "Birchol" 
 (tanker) set out from Inverness for Archangel, stopping for a few 
 hours at Lewwick, Shetland Islands, for the tanker to take on fuel and 
 water for the long run. From the Shetlands we laid our course to 
 Holmengraa, Norway. The North Sea lived up to its reputation and 
 gave us a rough passage. Many times we looked back to see if the 
 tanker was afloat or showed signs of distress. We had considerable 
 anxiety concerning the cargo of the tanker, as it was very uncongenial 
 cargo. Necessity makes strange companions and 2,000 rounds of live 
 3-inch shells and 800 tons of aeroplane gasoline separated by a j^-in. 
 steel bulkhead certainly possessed possibilities, especially if, as was the 
 case, no suitable stowage for the ammunition was possible. If the 
 shells had ever started to shift — well, the expedition would have been 
 off. The Captain of the tanker was game, and heart and soul with us 
 in the expedition, driving his ship at maximum speed in all kinds of 
 weather, so as to cause as little delay as possible. On the 4th of July, 
 when the United States forces in Archangel were due to observe In- 
 dependence Day by full dressing ship, the H. M. S. "Birchol" full 
 dressed ship with us. We were all pleased when at the close of the 
 expedition the Captain of the tanker received the recognition he so well 
 merited. 
 
 Holmengraa Light looked very good to us as we rounded it and 
 came to anchor in the lea of a group of islands, awaiting the arrival 
 of "lodz" or pilots from Bergen. Leaving Holmengraa on the Dth of 
 June, we soon entered one of the fiords and were sailing "behind the 
 
118 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 land." To the novice one of the striking features of the cruise along 
 the Norwegian coast is that from the Naze to the North Cape the route 
 lies, with the exception of about 100 miles of open sea, behind thou- 
 sands of islands forming a passageway almost completely sheltered. 
 From Holmengraa to the North Cape we passed through nearly a 
 thousand miles of iiords and "inner leads" of surpassing beauty. The 
 ordinary maps give no conception of the nature of this country. Navi- 
 gational charts give only an approximate idea. The whole scheme of 
 nature is on such a grand scale that photographs fail to show the im- 
 pressive grandeur of the scenery. This country must be seen to be 
 appreciated. New vistas of snow capped mountains rising abruptly 
 from the sea with the picturesque Norwegian villages at their bases, 
 were continually opening, each more imposing than the preceding, 
 making it difficult to compel yourself to turn in. All hands were on 
 deck most of the time. I purposely do not say day and night as we 
 traversed the whole distance and returned in perpetual daylight. 
 
 Leaving Holmengraa, our first stop was scheduled to be Tromso, 
 but we were forced to anchor in the lea of the island of Syd (South) 
 Fuglo, for a few hours to allow the tanker to nurse a hot bearing, 
 the result of forcing her engines to the limit. We were running 9^ 
 knots, over a knot faster than the normal cruising speed of the tanker. 
 
 As soon as the inner leads of this region are reached the landscape 
 takes on an entirely different appearance. Green fields, with thriving 
 crops, numerous villages, and beautiful summer homes mark the low- 
 land. An occasional automobile, generally recognized as of well known 
 American parentage, is seen moving along the water front. The waters 
 are alive with small fishing craft of all descriptions, going out light 
 and coming in heavily laden, and Laplanders in characteristic costume 
 carrying on their trade in small boats generally propelled by oars. 
 
 Making our way among numerous ships we came to anchor oflf 
 Tromso, the metropolis of the Arctic Circle, on the thirteenth of June 
 with the midnight sun shining brightly and the city showing almost 
 the life of mid-day. Small boats immediately swarmed about us 
 peddling their wares, postcards, candies, fish, and fruits, or looking for 
 an opportunity to take liberty parties ashore. It was here we were 
 first introduced to the Arctic scale of prices. With apples at 15 cents 
 apiece it compared favorably with New York. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 119 
 
 The officers of the Chaser expedition to Archangel. 
 
 Eighteen hours was all the time allotted us in Tromso, as the greater 
 part of the journey lay ahead of us. It was here that the pilot's social 
 engagements conflicted with his business and we sailed without him, 
 resolving forever after to keep pilots under lock and key while in port. 
 
 Passing Hammerfest, the crescent city of the North, we entered the 
 Soro Sund, noted for its remarkable scenery of mountains and glaciers, 
 and were soon standing out in the open Arctic Sea to the northeast of 
 North Cape. The North Cape ( Nord Kap) was fast in the grip of 
 snow and ice almost to the water's edge and was a credit to its name. 
 
 Keeping well clear of the coast, as the war developed the bad habit 
 of mining the waters off prominent capes, land falls and channels or- 
 dinarily used by mariners, we reached our point farthest north, latitude 
 71° 2?>' , 20.') miles north of the Arctic Circle, rounded Nord Kyiu 
 and set course to Vardo, one of the easternmost ports of Norway 
 where we were to stop to refuel. The chart is a little out of scale and 
 I have drawn the course to the latitude actually reached and checked 
 by observation and bearing. 
 
 The coast of Lapland is bleak, desolate and partially snow clad, 
 with little evidence of human life, and is strewn with wrecks of ships 
 that were driven ashore during gales or caught in the ice or that came 
 to grief trying to cut mine fields. 
 
120 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Four hours at Vardo were sufficient to refuel and get our fill of the 
 odor of fish oil. We lost no time in getting under way. The Murman 
 coast was no improvement on Lapland. Barren and forbidding, offer- 
 ing no shelter, it served as the home of countless thousands of sea 
 gulls. Some of the great gull rookeries of the Arctic are located along 
 this coast, and the air was literally full of flying birds. The report of a 
 gun would cause thousands resting on the water to rise and add their 
 din to the rest. Seal and ducks were also abundant. 
 
 We were very much surprised to sight a vessel flying the American 
 flag ofif Kola Inlet. It turned out to be the U. S. S. "Yankton" that 
 had been laying to for four hours off Kola Inlet awaiting our arrival. 
 We were going into Murmansk, prior to going to Archangel but the 
 original plans were changed in order to expedite our arrival at our 
 destination. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 16th of June the peculiar condition of the 
 sea led us to believe there were breakers some distance ahead. Con- 
 sulting the charts we could not account for any such disturbance, owing 
 to lack of wind and shoals. We were, however, soon to solve the 
 question, as on coming closer, the white line covered the horizon to the 
 eastward and ice was the only answer. The "Yankton" headed to the 
 north to look the field over, determine its extent and see if it was pos- 
 sible to go around it. The northern limits seemed interminable and at 
 about 4 P. M. the "Yankton" turned back and we entered the field. 
 
 After passing through the first barrier which proved to be light, 
 we found numerous leads and open places. The change in temperature 
 was very noticeable, and we were soon enveloped in a heavy fog, so 
 dense that at times we had to rely on the "Yankton's" whistle in order 
 to follow her wake, though she was for the greater part of the time 
 hardly more than a hundred yards ahead. After the novelty of the 
 situation wore oft", overcoats and winter clothing made their appear- 
 ance on deck. We were favored by a calm sea with no surge to the 
 ice, which would have made it impossible for us, and the perpetual 
 daylight made it easier to pick channels. Once the "Yankton" was 
 stopped but was able to back out and try another lead with better 
 success. The tanker also brought up solid but managed to get free. 
 
 It took us until ten the following morning before we finally cleared 
 the field, 10 miles to the eastward of Cape Goradetski, and left it and 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 121 
 
 Admiral McCulIy's party aboard the "No, 354" at Solovetzki. 
 
 its enveloping fog behind. The ice was snow covered and practically 
 every inch showed evidence of being packed by seals. 
 
 As soon as we cleared the entrance of the White Sea the coast 
 showed a marked change. Pine and fir clad hills took the place of 
 barren snow-covered cliffs, and villages appeared in clearings at the 
 mouths of streams. The most conspicuous landmark in practically 
 every village is its white cathedral with its many gaudy colored domes 
 and steeples, contrasting sharply with the somber log houses of the 
 natives. 
 
 On either bank of the Dwina, from its mouth to Archangel, a dis- 
 tance of 35 miles, is one continuous succession of lumber yards and 
 saw mills. Only an occasional mill showed signs of being in opera- 
 tion, and then only to partial capacity. Millions of feet of lumber lay 
 stocked in regular rows like the blocks of a city. The supply seemed 
 endless. Small groups of buildings clustered about the mills housed 
 the workers of the locality, though outside of women washing clothes 
 in the river, we saw very few laboring. Young Russia seemed to be 
 in swimming, or getting ready to go in or just coming out while the 
 men lounged about the wharves or banks smoking. 
 
122 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 This whole region which was fated to be destroyed by fire a few 
 weeks later gave the impression of a giant industry gone to waste. 
 Whatever work was going on was being done by women, even to row- 
 ing the boats carrying produce, principally hay, grain, fish and farm 
 products. 
 
 About noon on the 18th day of June we came to anchor ofi: the city 
 of Archangel. The day was uncomfortably warm and most of us spent 
 considerable time in the water during the early hours of the afternoon 
 prior to going ashore in the evening. The temperature of the water 
 was 71° and the only drawback to swimming from the ship was the 
 swift current of the river. 
 
 Archangel is a city of one principal street stretched for nine miles 
 along the east bank of the Dwina, giving the impression of a large city. 
 The large white public buildings and cathedrals stand out sharply 
 against the green background and throughout the whole length of the 
 city the wharves and river are crowded with ships of all descriptions 
 — transports, merchantmen, men-of-war of Russia and the Allies. 
 
 The peace time population of 45,000 was greatly swelled by the 
 military and naval units. The streets thronged with men in uniform. 
 Regimental bands gave evening concerts in the parks where the pleasure 
 seekers congregated much the same as in our own country. The 
 theatres and moving picture houses were well filled but the restaurants 
 received little patronage and the reason was not far to seek. Two and 
 one-half rubles, about 12 cents,* would purchase a ticket to the pic- 
 tures and 5 rubles was the usual price of a seat at the principal 
 theatre, while to get a satisfactory meal, from 160 to 280 rubles were 
 required. Money proved to be of little value owing to the greatly in- 
 flated currency, the instability of the government and the great short- 
 age of food. Barter was the popular method of exchange. 
 
 But we had little time ashore. It is not the purpose of this article 
 to deal with the military situation : that has received sufficient attention 
 during the past months. We shall merely mention that from the time 
 we arrived at Archangel until we left it was one continuous race be- 
 tween Archangel and the ports of the White Sea, Kem, and Keret Bay, 
 carrying officers, men, dispatches, mail, money and supplies. Seldom 
 were we in a port more than a few hours before we were dispatched 
 
 * Before the war tlie ruble was \^■o^th 52 cents. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 123 
 
 
 \A"aterfront of Archangel on the Dwina river. This ancient port was Russia's 
 northern gateway until the railroad was put through to Murmansk. 
 
 on some mission to another port. This with the necessary time for 
 drills and target practice, kept us moving most of the time and enabled 
 us to become familiar with the greater part of the White Sea. 
 
 We never lacked passengers. Those whose transportation was an 
 immediate necessity came aboard reluctantly and with manv misgiv- 
 ings. Some after bringing their baggage looked at our small craft and 
 found business that would detain them a few days. Some of the higher 
 officials, having heard of the size of the boat, dispatched a messenger 
 to express their regrets that they would be unable to make the trip. 
 Notwithstanding the above, we always sailed with every available space 
 below decks taken. 
 
 We were very fortunate in being able to visit Solovetzki Island 
 and its monastery. The "35-1" has the distinction of being the first 
 vessel flying the American flag to visit this port. Solovetzki is the 
 Mecca of the pilgrims of Russia. Every Russian of the Greek faith 
 hopes some day to visit this monastery. The monastery itself presents 
 an imposing spectacle both on account of its size and architecture. 
 The interior is no less remarkable. The walls abound with paintings. 
 
124 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Many of the rooms, the altars, shrines, etc., were closed to us, only 
 those of the faith being permitted to enter. But we were allowed to 
 look through steel gratings in some cases. 
 
 The paintings and mural decorations of this monastery are note- 
 worthy for the unity of theme. Everywhere you turn you are greeted 
 with representations of men and women undergoing various forms of 
 torture. The slaughter of the innocent, various tortures by hell fire 
 and devils with spears, and the whipping post seemed to be the most 
 favored designs. 
 
 The priests themselves were most hospitable, inviting us to their 
 rooms where they brewed tea in their characteristic samovars, and also 
 gave us some of their terrible black bread which we managed to dis- 
 pose of in other ways than by eating. Their rooms were simply fur- 
 nished with a plain wooden table and chairs and a bed of boards with- 
 out mattress. Oil paintings and ikons adorned the walls. The wives 
 of the priests occupy a separate building built of brick and quite pre- 
 tentious, a few htmdred yards from the monastery walls. 
 
 In addition to carrying on religious work the monastery owns and 
 operates a shipbuilding plant, and dry dock. It also carries on trade 
 and passenger service with various ports. The monastery is also in- 
 terested in agriculture and fishing and has the appearance of being a 
 thrifty business corporation. 
 
 We were all anxious to get back to Archangel and see more of the 
 city and its people. There were still two American regiments there 
 awaiting transportation and we did not lack guides. The athletic games 
 at Kego Island on the fourth of July, baseball, boxing, races, wrestling, 
 etc., under the auspices of the U. S. naval forces, to which the whole 
 city of Archangel was invited and a good section attended, and a very 
 interesting farewell ball given by the Embassy during which some of 
 us struggled vainly with the Russian language, completed our social 
 engagements, and on the fifth we sailed for Murmansk. 
 
 We stayed two days at Murmansk, spending most of the time trout 
 fishing in the streams and lakes. Some of the parties had good luck ; 
 all had a good time, notwithstanding the opposition of the mosquitoes. 
 The country was beautiful and air exhilarating. The bathing in 
 the lakes was also good. Wild flowers seemed as abundant as in our 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 125 
 
 *£ thi ^^ ^ * 
 
 Solovetzki monastery on an island in the White Sea. 
 
 own forests and violets were plentiful although well north of the 
 Arctic Circle. 
 
 Our trip back over the same route was even more interesting to us 
 than the northward cruise. We stopped at Vordo and Honningsvog 
 to pick up pilots. Honningsvog is the northernmost town in this 
 region, latitude 70° 59' N. It is a thriving fishing village of about 
 600 population. This village, teeming with life during the summer 
 months like many others that we passed on our journey through this 
 north country, was soon to be desolate. During the winter most of 
 the fishing villages are turned over to the nearest tribe of Laps, the 
 inhabitants spending their winters in the larger cities of southern 
 Norway. 
 
 Before reporting to the Commander of the mine force, the Admiral 
 gave us a week's leave in any city of Norway. Of course we chose 
 Christiania. In the first place we would complete our trip, see prac- 
 tically the whole of Norway, and it would give us an opportunity to 
 take side trips into Sweden and Denmark. 
 
 The trip from Bergen to Christiania is noteworthy for the great 
 number of fine summer homes that line the fiords and for the numer- 
 
126 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 ous yachts and motorboats encountered. Boating and skiing might be 
 called the national sports of Norway and it seemed as if almost every 
 one was on the water. Arendal on Tromo Sund is one of the great 
 summer resorts of Norway. We went a little out of our course to go 
 through Arendal and it was well worth the time. In fact many of us 
 would have been willing to have anchored there and spent the week. 
 
 We arrived at Christiania on the 18th of July, just one month after 
 reaching Archangel, and forgetting our cares and hardships of the 
 trip, proceeded to enjoy our stay. The people of Christiania were 
 most hospitable and when on the 25th we sailed to join the remainder 
 of the detachment at Bergen, the mine fields offered no consolation. 
 
 The following skeleton log and extracts from the official report 
 show various data interesting to motor boatmen, and also summarizes 
 the operations : 
 
 June 6th Sailed from Inverness, Scotland. 
 
 18th Arrived at Archangel, Russia. (Distance, 19T5 miles.) 
 
 July 5th Sailed for Murmansk. 
 
 7th Arrived at Murmansk. 
 
 " 9th Sailed for Bergen and Christiania. 
 
 16th S. C. 354 and S. C. 95 sailed for Christiania. 
 
 " 18th Arrived at Christiania. 
 
 " 25th Sailed for Bergen. 
 
 " 26th Arrived at Bergen. 
 
 " 2Tth Refueled and all these Chasers sailed for Kirkwall. 
 
 " 28th Arrived at Kirkwall. 
 
 Sun MARY OF Data 
 
 S. C. 354 S. C. 256 S. C. 95 
 
 (1) Miles Run 5570 
 
 (2) Hours under way 681 
 
 (3) Days in port 24.4 
 
 (4) Days under repair None 
 
 (5) Fuel consumed under way, gals. 11,381 
 
 (6) Fuel consumed in port, gals.. . . 39 
 
 (7) Average speed 8.2 
 
 (8) Gallons per nautical mile 2.04 
 
 4774 
 
 5527 
 
 744 
 
 661 
 
 21.3 
 
 24.2 
 
 None 
 
 None 
 
 9510 
 
 12,835 
 
 250 
 
 190 
 
 6.4 
 
 8.4 
 
 2.00 
 
 2.30 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 127 
 
 "The performance of the boats during this period of running was 
 excellent. They averaged o-iOO miles per month until reaching Chris- 
 tiania and during the entire period away from England there was not 
 a single breakdown or delay for a Chaser. They received no outside 
 assistance for repair or overhaul and the only outside assistance re- 
 ceived was the issue of small stores and a very limited amount of 
 provisions. The boats were kept almost constantly underway until 
 reaching Christiania. as the greater part of the days at anchor were 
 interrupted by shifting berth for fuel, provisions, etc. 
 
 "The boats stood up excellently, and completed the trip in good con- 
 dition. S. C. 354 and S. C. 95 made the run from Christiania to Ber- 
 gen (370 miles) unhampered by the tanker, at an average speed of 
 12.9 knots." 
 
Chapter X 
 RACING HOME FROM BERMUDA 
 
 IT was during the homeward run of the group of Chasers that had 
 hngered in the Mediterranean, doing the Navy's odd jobs after 
 the signing of the Armistice, that the race home from Bermuda 
 was decided upon. Lieut. Joseph L. Day, the skipper of the "131" 
 and Ensign Alfred Loomis, the executive officer of the same Chaser, 
 suggested the idea to Captain Nelson. The suggestion appealed to 
 "Juggy," as his admiring Chaser skippers call the popular four-striper, 
 and he readily obtained the consent of the Navy Department. Six 
 boats were chosen, because of some distinguished service, to partici- 
 pate in this whirlwind finish and the story which follows* is by the 
 skipper of the winning "131," Lieut. Joseph L. Day, L'. S. N. (T.), 
 veteran of Durazzo and the Otranto Barrage. 
 
 Great masses of hurrying storm clouds were rolling up over the 
 southwestern ridge of that tiny dot of a reef called Bermuda, as six 
 officers representing Submarine Chasers 90, 129, 131, 217, 224, 351 
 climbed aboard from the little sloop that brought them out on a flying 
 trip from Hamilton to Ireland Island after the last evening's run 
 ashore. Well primed with soda and ice cream (already we were train- 
 ing for our sojourn in Sahara) each was busy with thoughts and plans 
 for the race which was to start the following afternoon. 
 
 The six chasers, all veterans of many a hunt for German sub- 
 marines and each distinguished for some special form of war activity, 
 were lying just outside the dockyard breakwater. They were swing- 
 ing to the breeze, as only such high bowed craft can, keeping their 
 thirty fathoms of chain stretched out well ahead, seeming, in the half 
 light that filtered through the rifts in the clouds, like spirits alive and 
 impatiently waiting to be ofl?. From their engine rooms came unmis- 
 takable sounds of anxious engineers giving those last hopeful touches 
 to their three babies, the main engines. 
 
 The weather had us all worried, not that we thought we could not 
 go, for to a Sub Chaser man the weather is merely a barometer of 
 
 * Reprinted from Motor Boat. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 129 
 
 comfort or discomfort, mostly the latter. He can always go. There 
 was, however, a "weather permitting" clause in our orders and we 
 were afraid we might not be allowed to start if it was very bad the 
 next day. The barometer was the lowest I had seen it since saying 
 good bye to Bermuda bound for the hunting grounds of the Medi- 
 terranean and Adriatic. The Hamilton paper carried the reassuring 
 news item that slow time across the Gulf Stream was Hkely to be our 
 lot. It had been breezing for two days and we knew it was bubbly 
 outside. However, as the morning would bring its weather regard- 
 less of my desires or those of the other racing skippers, I decided to 
 see if I had complied with all the preliminary conditions for the race. 
 
 The rules governing the race were simple, fair to all, and aUowed 
 great latitude for individual judgment. They were drawn by a man 
 who understands Chasers and Chaser work, a man who had been with 
 the Chasers for nearly two years and who had seen them under all 
 conditions, from the dock-ramming stage, when officers, crews and 
 boats were green as the tinned peas they ate, to Durazzo when he 
 handled them like a squadron of destroyers ; and back again across 
 the Atlantic to a point where he was glad to let six of them show what 
 they could do on their own. I am giving Captain Nelson's rules for 
 the race in their essentials. 
 
 First: All courses, speeds, and engine combinations discretionary 
 for each contestant in conformity with rules. 
 
 Second: Sails or any other means of helping speed may be used 
 subject to provisions of following paragraph. 
 
 Third: No fixtures, stores or any other article will be thrown 
 overboard to lighten ship. This includes empty gasoline oil and water 
 barrels on board at the start. 
 
 Fourth: Each contestant may have on board at start 3,900 gallons 
 of gasoline and must not have more than that amount. 
 
 Oil tanks must be filled to capacity. Extra oil may be carried. 
 
 Water tanks must be filled to capacity. 
 
 Provisions on board will be retained and no boat will start without 
 at least ten days' provisions for all hands. 
 
 Fifth : Engineering. 
 
 In order to obtain accurate record of performance measurements 
 
130 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 will be taken and logged of gasoline and oil remaining whenever 
 changes in revolutions or combinations of engines in use are made. 
 
 The discretion allowed regarding engine combinations is only lim- 
 ited by the proviso that at no time will any engine be operated at a 
 greater speed than 400 revolutions per minute. 
 
 While the contestant crossing the finish line first undoubtedly will 
 be considered the winner, provided specified post-race conditions are 
 met, the contestant showing the best economy performance and having 
 complied with all other race conditions will be awarded the first place 
 for efficiency. 
 
 At the completion of the race all three engines (main) must be 
 in operating order, and the vessel must have fuel enough aboard to 
 run all three engines at 300 revolutions per minute for at least 20 
 miles. Any vessel unable to fulfill this condition will be disqualified. 
 
 An umpire, assigned by lot, will be placed on board each Chaser, 
 to observe transfer of gasoline, note changes in running conditions 
 and keep records. He will act in an advisory capacity whenever his 
 services may be of value but he will have no authority to give orders 
 as to operating conditions nor will he be assigned an operating station 
 at any time. 
 
 Sixth: The start will be at 5.00 p. m. L. M. T. (local mean time) 
 Saturday, August 16, 1919, from a line 120 deg. mag., from St. David's 
 Head lighthouse. Chasers will cross this line between the U. S. 
 Ontario and the H. M. S. St. Abbs, having on board the official 
 starter, Vice-Admiral Morgan Singer, R. N., and proceed to New 
 York via Ambrose Channel, where they will finish at a line between 
 the Statue of Liberty and the southern end of Governors Island. 
 
 The following orders were received by the S. C. 131 during the 
 race: "When you reach the Lightship (Ambrose Channel), hail her 
 and request instructions. If no umpire is on board Lightship, ask 
 her to report you, and then proceed to finish line. 
 
 Saturday morning gave no signs of a let-up in the steady south- 
 west breeze, but we found, to our delight, that Captain Minner of the 
 Tallahassee was from the right school, and we would start on time, 
 with a word to get to New York as fast as the Lord and our engines 
 would let us. 
 
 Promptly at 3 p. m., after drawing their umpires, the chasers got 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OE THE FLEET 131 
 
 under way and followed the U. S. Ontario and the H. M. S. St. Abbs 
 down the winding channel to St. David's Head. The weather had 
 cleared considerably, the breeze had eased ofif, and in the shelter of 
 the island it was comparatively smooth. The clouds which had been 
 piling over Bermuda for the past two days had broken away, and the 
 delightful greens of the high headlands were lighted with welcome 
 sunlight, contrasting with the sparkling light blue of the shallow water, 
 it was an ideal afternoon for the start. 
 
 By prearrangement all Chasers were to cross the line as nearly 
 together as possible and they slowly jockeyed into a line a quarter 
 mile southwest of the two starting vessels. S. C. 90 was the guide 
 and took up her position to pass close to the Ontario. S. C. 131 took 
 position to pass close aboard the St. Abbs with the other Chasers 
 between from port to starboard 129, 217, 224 and 351. 
 
 At 4.50 L. M. T. the signal, international "W. R. C," was run 
 up on the St. Abbs by the official starter, Vice-Admiral Morgan Singer, 
 R. N., who had kindly consented to honor us by giving us a send-off 
 on the sporting finish of our long cruise. As the signal was hauled 
 down, all the chasers started together, keeping position on the 90, 
 breaking out their homeward-bound pennants and manning the rail. 
 ^Making about fifteen knots as they went across the line, all hands in 
 white uniform, and at right-hand salute in honor of the admiral, 
 homeward-bound pennants streaming clear, the six well-groomed 
 chasers were a most inspiring sight. 
 
 A moment later every one above decks turned-to to set sail and 
 take every advantage of the breeze, which was fair to our turn around 
 Kitchin Shoal buoy, six miles away. The race had started. White 
 uniforms were rapidly changed to dungarees. Anxious eyes watched 
 the movements of the other boats. The long grind was on. 
 The start was made at 4.20.18, seventy-fifth meridian time. 
 This was the time used by all boats and umpires during the entire 
 race. S. C. 131 was officially the first across the line, although we on 
 board could distinguish no difference in position between the 90, 317 
 and ourselves. The 129 crossed the line last, 35 seconds late. It 
 was a fair start, and, with every one bunched, gave promise of a 
 fight to the finish and "the devil take the hindermost." 
 
 My plan was to run 350 revolutions on three engines until the 
 
132 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Gulf Stream was encountered, then to slow to 10 knots using two 
 engines making necessary repairs and to speed up on leaving the 
 Gulf Stream to 400 revolutions on all three (the maximum allowed) 
 holding it if possible to the finish. On paper this gave a schedule of 
 58 hours elapsed time to Ambrose Channel and I was somewhat in 
 doubt as to the likelihood of maintaining it. That we did even better 
 was due to our having an engine room force second to none, and an 
 entire crew ready to drive her every minute. 
 
 As we passed down the course to the first turn, the 217 and 90 
 stepped rapidly into the lead. Our trysail was drawing well and as 
 they were just getting their own set we felt sure they never could 
 hold that speed so we contented ourselves with 350 on three and let 
 her roll. At 4.50 we rounded Kitchen Shoal Buoy and, with a feeling 
 of hope and happy expectation never equalled before, squared away 
 for New York. 
 
 For the first few hours the sea was easy ; but as we passed out of 
 the influence of the Bermuda reefs we felt the old roll kicked up in 
 the last two days and the chop of the present fresh Westernly. The 
 131 took the seas easily and no solid water came on board. The 
 engines ran very smoothly and without any tendency to race. Before 
 the start I was told that she was trimmed wrong and possibly she 
 was. The reply that she wouldn't be ''trimmed" right till the race 
 was over, was perhaps justified. Three of our ten gasoline drums and 
 one oil barrel was lashed well aft to hold her wheels down, while this 
 was not the best trim for smooth sailing it saved the wear and tear 
 of racing engines and paid good dividends in the weather we encoun- 
 tered. 
 
 As the evening progressed we could see that the leaders were not 
 going to hold their speed. It was getting more and more choppy 
 each hour. The breeze was about force 4 (about 23 miles) and light- 
 ning in the west gave promise of showers and squalls later on. At 
 10.00 o'clock I got my last look at the fleet when I could be sure of 
 the position of each vessel. The 90 was two points forward of our 
 starboard beam, 217 broad on starboard beam, 351, 3 points abaft 
 starboard beam, 129, 3 points on starboard quarter and 224 astern of 
 the Ontario. 
 
 That husky Navy tow boat was steaming according to instruction 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 133 
 
 in a position to keep as close touch as possible with all chasers. To 
 the best of her ability she maintained touch with all by radio through- 
 out the race ; but conditions for chaser radio operation were very poor. 
 The flying spray from a sea abeam and forward of abeam together with 
 continual showers kept the apparatus, insulators and antenna damp 
 and cut down radiation to such an extent that communication was diffi- 
 cult at all times and often impossible. Everyone was fortunate, how- 
 ever, in having no very serious breakdown and, although always 
 ready, the Ontario never had to use her tow line. 
 
 About 10.30 Loomis relieved me on deck and I went below to find 
 the quarters so hot and uncomfortable that I decided to sleep on the 
 bridge. At that time the trysail was drawing nicely close hauled and 
 very little spray came over the chart house. The sky was overcast 
 but to my sorrow I took a chance. 
 
 Sometime in the wee small hours when the folks in the country 
 are long asleep and the boys on Broadway are, nowadays, also resting 
 peacefully, I was jolted into semi-consciousness by the slatting of our 
 sail and the crew clewing it up. Shortly, inspired by the pelting rain 
 which followed that first gust, down the ladder I went, sleepily drag- 
 ging bed, blanket and all with me through the chart house, down the 
 hatch and into the quarters, there to roll in again and sleep like a 
 Christian, with gas in my nostrils and the roar of three engines in my 
 ears. We of the Chasers can thoroughly enjoy our future Pullman 
 berths. Loomis, however, [jrofited by my experience and turned in 
 below when he called me at 5,30 a. m,, taking a chance on the lesser 
 of the two e\-ils. 
 
 In the morning between showers the 217 and 90 could both be 
 seen from our bridge now well astern to starboard. All the other 
 Chasers and the Ontario were out of sight and we felt confident well 
 astern. The 3-51 had been holding far to the nortliward and we were 
 worried a bit that she might slip by us. By eleven o'clock, however, 
 both the 217 and the HO had melterl into the mist astern and as we 
 had not increased our speed we felt sure we were doing well. 
 
 This day was the worst of the entire run, squalls were frequent 
 and between them the wind averaged between 4 and 5. Although that 
 is not much of a blow it makes things lively for a Chaser, especially 
 when the breeze is on the bow and she is rloing eleven good knots an 
 
134 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 hour. The sun when visible at all was very fuzzy and navigation was 
 almost out of the question. I got a sight at 10.00 a, m. and a noon 
 sight for latitude but I was very glad that we had plenty of sea room. 
 When a chaser is jumping and rolling as they do every six seconds 
 unless the sea is dead calm or dead ahead, and the sun looks like a 
 maltese cat flying across an horizon of scrambled eggs, sights are 
 sometimes listed as doubtful. Loomis once figured out how many 
 times we would roll going from Gallipoli, Italy, to New York, and it 
 is my belief that the old girl concentrated these rolls especially for my 
 benefit on August 17. 
 
 We had what we called our position at noon anyway and it wasn't 
 so far wrong after all. We had made 216 miles and on measuring 
 our gasoline decided we could afford to bend another 25, so we speeded 
 up to 375 revolutions on all three engines and the water began to fly. 
 This was the only time we had any solid water on deck ; but a few 
 green ones slid by the chart house and a lot more just didn't. They 
 would come up and look through the bull nose ; but most of them 
 refrained from getting too sociable. Men going off watch that Sunday 
 afternoon had to be careful, however, and it was a lucky gob who 
 reached the fo'castle dry. 
 
 What sights we had obtained showed us that despite the heavy 
 chop and fresh breeze we were making practically no leeway. In 
 fact, we were, if anything, to the left of our plotted course. This 
 was a great surprise to me on this and the following day when we 
 passed through the Gulf Stream to boot, we did not drift over twelve 
 miles in the entire trip. As I allowed 18 in laying my course, I was 
 forced to change course on Sunday afternoon one degree and on 
 Monday afternoon seven degrees, both changes being to the right. 
 At that we picked up Navesink only about a point on the port bow 
 and had to head up even more to hail Ambrose. Although this rather 
 worked out to our advantage, with the weather we had, it was a 
 surprise, and I can only lay it to the fact that the Chasers never make 
 as much leeway as you expect them to, and also that I allowed, 
 perhaps, a little too much for the Stream. 
 
 After noon we were unable to get any sights so contented our- 
 selves with watching the sea and the clouds and hoping for smooth 
 weather. About 4.00 p. m, the water commenced to darken and bv 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 135 
 
 o.UU we were running through the deep indigo of the Gulf Stream. 
 Here the sea was much less choppy and our speed increased per- 
 ceptibly. 
 
 At G.20 r. M. we received the news by an intercepted radio from 
 the Ontario of the only accident of the trip. S. C. 129 had broken 
 a crankshaft and now having only two engines was disqualilied under 
 the race rules. She was still running nicely on two engines, neverthe- 
 less, and made a good showing at the finish as her time was well under 
 that of the best previous performance. 
 
 The night in the Gulf Stream was an interesting one. In the 
 early evening there was a succession of thunder storms accompanied 
 by almost enough wind and rain to equal the black squalls of the 
 Straits of Otranto in the Adriatic. The spray and rain were so 
 persistent that our port running light shorted and we spent a busy 
 hour chasing trouble and getting our lights all bright again. Before 
 I left the deck, however, the sea had quieted down and the weather 
 gave promise of better going. 
 
 About 4.00 A. M.^ Mr. Loomis called to me to look out on the 
 starboard side. We were passing the U. S. S. Hannibal, one of the 
 supply ships of the main Chaser convoy which had started 24 hours 
 ahead of us. She loomed up close aboard and we passed her very 
 quickly as we were making about five knots over her best speed. This 
 was the only ship of our own detachment sighted during the trip, as 
 we passed the Leonidas, Captain Nelson's flagship, and the main body 
 of chasers in the fog a few hours later. 
 
 The morning of our last day at sea dawned hazy, and before nine 
 o'clock the fog was rolling by in heavy banks. Above the fog, though, 
 the sky was clear and at times the sun broke through. As we needed 
 a position badly now, and since we must have one some time this day, 
 I made every efifort and tried every dodge to get a reliable sight, all 
 to no avail. 
 
 By noon, to my great relief, both sun and horizon had cleared and 
 a good sight for latitude was obtained. But longitude was now our 
 greatest concern, for we were anxious to check our course since having 
 run through the Gulf stream at noon and found our gasoline supply 
 still holding up beyond our expectations, we had .speeded up to 390 
 revolutions on all three engines. We were now making good 12 '4 
 
136 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 knots an hour, and, with only 160 miles to go, it was certain we would 
 make our landfall about midnight. Of course, it was imperative that 
 we should waste no time at Asbury Park, Ambrose Channel was our 
 goal. 
 
 Our last afternoon was delightful and our rough days were quickly 
 forgotten as the breeze which had been falling all morning gradually 
 died and the sun coming out in earnest dried off our spray soaked 
 decks. As we slid along over an easy swell with clear bright weather, 
 navigation was easy. By 5.00 p. m. both Loomis and I had positions 
 we were as sure of as though we had passed a light. The fact that 
 they differed by three miles did not affect our confidence a whit. 
 Laying a course from a point midway between them we set our course 
 for Scotland Light vessel and at 7.00 o'clock with 60 miles to go to 
 Ambrose Channel we figured we should raise Navesink at 11.30. 
 
 About this time I turned in and Mr. Loomis took the deck with 
 a bank of fog looming up just ahead. He had his troubles that watch. 
 The fog shut down like a blanket and it was darker than the inside of 
 the proverbial Black Cow. It is the absolute truth that, anxious as 
 we were to make speed, we slowed down (a little). The fog did not 
 last long ; but it was followed by a stiff breeze from the northeast and 
 when I came on deck at 11.15 it was cold and the spray was flying. 
 
 Anxious as usual, Mr, Loomis was in the crow's nest as he had 
 spotted a flare that might be a light. 
 
 He was "right as rain" for at 11.30 we had identified the power- 
 ful flash of Navesink Highlands Light and shortly afterward we got 
 enough of a bearing on it (our heavy rolling made accuracy an impos- 
 sibility) to change course for Ambrose Light Vessel. 
 
 We sighted Ambrose at exactly midnight and at 1:17 with engines 
 stopped we rolled alongside of her hailing and finally sounding our 
 call letters to rouse the watch aboard. There was no umpire on board 
 and to our request to report us she replied that her radio was out of 
 commission. As ours had been out for several hours there was nothing 
 for us to do but proceed and very glad we were to do it. It was lively 
 then and the glow of the white lights looked good to all hands. 
 
 While we felt sure that we were ahead, still every moment was 
 precious till we had crossed that final finish line. At 1.25, with no 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 137 
 
 signs of other chasers approaching, we got under way again and 
 headed up the channel. 
 
 We had made the run from the start to Ambrose Channel Light 
 vessel in 56 hours and ")(i minutes, in all kinds of weather, and were 
 satisfied that we had done our best. 
 
 The trip up the channel was a lively one. The breeze was right 
 astern, and as we raced down the backs of the short, choppy seas 
 steering was almost impossible. My Chief Boatswain's Mate, who 
 had stood perfect wheel watches throughout the trip, gave vent to 
 some "choice ones" as, even after we were well up the line of buoys, 
 we persisted in heading first for the white lights and then for the 
 red. That he kept her between them is to his credit. 
 
 With a strong flood tide helping us we certainly made knots up 
 through the narrows and as I had never entered New York Harbor 
 from the sea before. Mr. Loomis, who was watching the chart, was 
 kept jumping answering questions and laying courses to the "next one." 
 The right answers came every time, however, and just as we crossed 
 the finish line we saw the shadowy form of Liberty veiled in mist ; 
 but always ready with her welcome to the men from overseas. 
 
 Considering the hour, we crossed the official finish line at 3.53 A. M. 
 75th Meridian standard time, our reception committee if there was 
 one, were readih' excused for their absence, and we stole up through 
 the fog to the Navy Yard where we tied up just as if we hadn't been 
 gone sixteen months. 
 
138 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Harry Richardson's conception of a Chaser in a heavy sea. 
 
Chapter XI 
 THOSE WHO PATROLLED OUR COAST 
 
 BL'T how about the crowd who stayed at home and patrolled our 
 coasts ? Few people have realized why the Germans, who had 
 already demonstrated the ability of their submarines to cross 
 the Atlantic, gave us so little trouble on this side. The answer is the 
 "hundred-and-tens," the boats of the "Sectional Patrol" and a few 
 elderly destroyers, that made up the great bulk of the vessels patrolling 
 our coasts. Why, at the time that the "San Diego" was lost off Fire 
 Island, the Submarine Chasers under the command of Lieutenant 
 LeSauvage, Section Base No. 6, were out as much as twenty-eight 
 days out of thirty. For the most part they kept their stations and 
 listened — listened for days on end — and this is the most tedious task 
 that a sailorman was ever called upon to do. Cruising in a rough 
 sea on a boat of this kind is strenuous, but rolling about interminably 
 with power shut off is maddening. 
 
 And then there was the fearful sickness, in spite of which they 
 carried on, and the ever present danger of being potted for a sub. A 
 glance at one of the vessels at a distance will show the marked simi- 
 larity in appearance to a German U-boat, and at night with all lights 
 out and with the gun crews of every freighter on edge and eager to 
 let fly at the first suspicious object, there is little wonder that such 
 accidents occurred. There was, for instance, the regrettable case of 
 "S. C. 209," which was shelled and sunk by the Freighter Felix Taussig 
 off Fire Island, when Lieut. Henry J. Bowes, Ensign E. H. Randolph 
 and fourteen enlisted men lost their lives. 
 
 In the face of the ever-present menace of the submarine and his 
 actual presence on this side of the .Atlantic during most of the summer 
 of 1918, it was necessary to keep the sea lanes open for the steady 
 stream of troop and supply ships going to France and to protect the 
 coastwise shipping as well. To be sure some fifty vessels were actually 
 sunk in our waters but the fact that the losses were not infinitely 
 greater was due to the tireless eft'orts of our patrol boats. 
 
 The first of the chasers to be finished were hurried across the 
 
140 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Druwn by Harry Richardson. 
 The midnight challenge — a Sub Chaser cross examines a camouflaged merchant- 
 
 Atlantic to points where the need for them was the greatest so that 
 when the first Fritz appeared on this side, about May 25th, the 
 Chaser fleet here was just going into commission and many of the 
 boats did not have their batteries, depth charges or listening devices 
 aboard. These had to be fitted hurriedly as the boats could be spared 
 from the arduous and varied duties they were called upon hurriedly 
 to perform. Troop and merchant convoys had to be escorted hundreds 
 of miles to sea, the coastwise shipping lanes had to be kept well 
 patrolled, besides the never-ending hunt for mines, disabled seaplanes 
 and the crews of torpedoed vessels. 
 
 No greater test of the ability of the officers and men could have 
 been devised, than this coastwise work in a submarine zone where 
 shipping was congested and where no lights were permitted. The 
 officers for the most part had just been graduated from officer mate- 
 rial schools at the various training camps, where they had received 
 from three to four months' training ashore and most of them never 
 had had sea experience until, upon graduation, they were shoved 
 aboard the chasers, where seamanship is infinitely more important 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 141 
 
 Pl!OtO[jraph by U ndcy-wjoj & U luU-r-n'ood. 
 
 In a heavy sea or in thick weather, the Chasers frequently were mistaken for 
 
 hostile subs. 
 
 than on the larger vessels. There was no experienced officer above 
 to direct and those belo\\' were as green as their officers. 
 
 The tours of duty of these little boats frequently were from five 
 to six days with but brief intervals of rest between jobs. With but 
 two officers, it meant watch and watch, four hours on and four off, 
 twelve hours on duty out of twenty-four. And in rough weather there 
 wasn't much rest below when oft watch and the meals were only such 
 as could be prepared by holding pots on the stove as the boats rolled 
 their beam ends under. In one squadron of twenty-odd Chasers the 
 records show that for two months the boats averaged 75 per cent, of 
 the time on duty, which meant that to maintain this high average, 
 some of them were out as much as 85 per cent, of the time. The 
 strain on the crews and on the boats themselves was tremendous. 
 
 The squadron that made this brilliant record was Ijased at Hampton 
 Roads and was in command of IJeut. Herbert I^. Stone, U. S. N. R. F., 
 from Feb. 1 to Nov. 20, 1!)18. Lieut. Stone, who was subsequently 
 the navigating officer of the troop transport "Pastores" and later 
 occupied the same position on the U. S. S. "Montgomery," is known 
 
142 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 to the yachtsmen of the country as the former editor of Yachting and 
 one of our best amateur stick handlers. His work in the Naval 
 Reserve was so excellent that he has been recommended for the 
 Distinguished Service Cross, a reward he thoroughly deserves. 
 
 We are indebted to Herb Stone for many an interesting story of 
 the Chasers. Here is one: 
 
 About the first real information that was had that the U-boats 
 had arrived was when three battleships, among them the "Louisiana" 
 and "Ohio," at target practise off the Virginia coast, made contact 
 with a Fritz and after firing at the spot where he disappeared, put on 
 full speed for port, zigzagging as they came and carrying a bow wave 
 up to the stem head, it being the policy of the department not to risk 
 first line ships against subs. As they flew by the guard ship off the 
 Virginia Capes they semaphored "In contact with enemy Submarine 
 25 miles to the southeast. Send chasers to investigate." 
 
 So a couple of little 110-footers were chased off shore with their 
 three Standards turning up 425 revolutions, where they spent the day 
 and night scouring the sea for the elusive sub, with their crews up on 
 their toes in anticipation. But what they would have done to Fritz 
 if they had come across him, it is hard to say, for at that time neither 
 of the boats had guns, depth bombs or any offensive equipment. But 
 this didn't bother their crews a bit for they figured that the sub 
 wouldn't know of these minor deficiencies. 
 
 If the records of the Navy Department are ever published they 
 will show that on at least two occasions the Sub-Chasers actually made 
 contact with and attacked enemy submarines on this coast. According 
 to Lieut. Stone, it came about in this way : A destroyer, in command 
 of a squadron of Chasers was out hunting submarines ofif the coast 
 between Hatteras and Cape Cod along the edge of the 100 fathom 
 curve, where the German commanders usually lurked. Steaming in 
 line of columns, the leading Chasers suddenly saw a German sub 
 broach right in the face of the squadron. As soon as Fritz saw what 
 he had run into he dived and headed inshore, away from the squadron. 
 In an instant listening tubes were down and the hunt was on. 
 
 For an hour and a half the chase lasted, the little boats using the 
 latest listening devices and the tactics in which they had been drilled 
 at New London. At the end of that. time the listeners told them they 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 143 
 
 What might have happened to that sky line had it not Ijeen for the watch dogs? 
 
 were within striking distance and they attacked, dropping 17 "ash 
 cans" over the spot where Fritz had been located. This attack evi- 
 dently shook the Germans up a bit from the amount of oil that came 
 to the surface, but it did not put the sub out of business. At any rate 
 he changed his intent doubling on his tracks and heading northeast 
 for deeper water. 
 
 Once more tubes were down, but the chase was not so long this 
 time. In less than an hour the attacking squadron was over the sub 
 and once more attacked with the deadly T. N. T. This time there 
 was every reason to believe that Fritz was badly, if not mortally, hurt, 
 for he went to the bottom in about 35 fathoms of water and for an 
 hour lay there working his pumps while great quantities of fuel oil 
 kept coming to the surface and spread over the sea for half a mile. 
 After bombs had been dropped freely the sounds of pumping finally 
 ceased and no more was heard from the bottom. 
 
 Believing that the sub was done for, the spot was buoyed and the 
 flotilla lay-to until the next day, sending a radio in for a diver and 
 mine sweeper to come out and locate what was left of him. But the 
 water was too deep to allow of adequate examination by a diver and 
 
144 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Warren Sheppard's conception of a Chaser in a heavy sea is not far from the 
 
 truth. 
 
 the sweepers failed to pick up anything from the submarine. This 
 may have been due to the fact that only the center of the bight of 
 sweep dragged the bottom and the sub could easily have been missed. 
 
 This was in August. A little later a submarine was picked up 
 well off Barnegat, where she had been worrying shipping. She was 
 chased in the same way and attacked with depth bombs when spotted, 
 but there is no evidence to show that she was destroyed. In this case 
 darkness added to the difficulties of the chase. 
 
 The unfortunate affair southeast of Fire Island Lightship in which 
 Sub-Chaser No. 209 was shelled one night by an American steamer 
 which mistook her for a submarine, occurred a short time before the 
 incidents just noted. The fourth shell fired at point blank range from 
 the 5 in. gun of the "Felix Taussig" hit the "209" fairly amidships 
 and blew her to splinters. Sixteen of her crew were killed or died of 
 wounds and the survivors, some seven or eight, were picked up by 
 Sub-Chaser "188." The water was a sea of flame from burning 
 gasoline and the rescues called for genuine heroism which the Depart- 
 ment should not let go unrewarded. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 145 
 
 Phoioq^aph b\ Into) national tilm St}ztte 
 The Prebident lea\ eb for France aboard the George Wabhington , a Chaser 
 superintends the ceremony. 
 
 Three of the Chasers in this squadron were built on Puget Sound 
 and made the long 8,000-mile cruise to the Atlantic coast on their 
 own bottoms and with no mechanics except Navy enlisted personnel on 
 board. At the conclusion of the long trip the boats reported to the 
 commander of the squadron on the Atlantic coast as "ready for duty" 
 and inside of 24 hours they were ordered to sea as escort for a fast 
 troop convoy, without any time for overhaul or repairs. 
 
 The Chasers were part of a squadron of 12 which came from the 
 west coast, through the canal and up to north Atlantic ports without 
 any repair or mother ship, tug or supply vessel accompanying them 
 for most of the voyage. They had no paymaster or funds of any 
 kind except what personal money the officers might have had and yet 
 they kept going, with the aid of one fuel tanker sent ahead to a Mexican 
 port on the west coast, and arrived still a lap ahead of their pay 
 accounts. 
 
 Lieut. Stone tells the following story of the squadron : 
 
 The boats had dropped into Charleston, S. C, on the way north, 
 for suppHes, and the ensign commanding the group went to the com- 
 
146 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 mandant of the yard to try to get some back pay. The latter official 
 said somewhat testily, "Don't bother me about this, go to your pay- 
 master." 
 
 "But we have no paymaster, sir," replied the ensign. 
 
 "I know you have none on your ship, but go to the paymaster of 
 your mother ship or escorting vessel," said the commandant. 
 
 "But there is no mother ship or escorting vessel," persisted the 
 ensign, who was pretty hard up. 
 
 "Then go to your supply ship, they'll take care of you." 
 
 "We have no supply ship, sir, to go to," was the answer. 
 
 "How many Chasers are in your squadron, and did you have a 
 medical officer along?" asked the commandant, beginning to get 
 interested. 
 
 "Twelve, sir, and we've seen no medical officer since we left Puget 
 Sound, except at Panama." 
 
 "Now, let me get this straight" — went on the head of the navy yard, 
 beginning to get interested. "You say that these twelve little boats 
 came all the way from the west coast without funds ?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Without an escort, or supply ship or tug or repair ship of any 
 kind?" 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "And without a medical officer?" went on the commandant. 
 
 "Yes, sir." 
 
 "Well, my God, all I've got to say is that this trip has got the 
 voyage of the 'Oregon' beaten to a frazzle." 
 
Chapter XII 
 THE GERMAN SUBMARINE 
 
 SINCE the German fleet was taken over by the British Admiralty 
 some interesting things have been learned about the U-boats — 
 things many of which unfortunately are not available for pub- 
 lication. We know now that the type of craft which had proved suc- 
 cessful at the outbreak of the war, a boat of about 900 tons displace- 
 ment and eqviipped with twin Diesels of 1000 horsepower each, was 
 standardized and used throughout the war for high seas work. Other 
 larger subs were built, but this class seems to have been the most im- 
 portant. 
 
 We are indebted to Motor Ship and Motor Boat of London for 
 some interesting facts about German submarines. It appears that very 
 early in the war the German Admiralty concluded that a number of 
 small coastal submarines were needed on the Belgian coast and because 
 of the fact that the North Sea was in control of the British it was 
 necessary that these be so constructed that they could be transported 
 by rail to the Belgian bases. Seventeen craft were ordered and were 
 ready for delivery in May, 1915, the average time of construction being 
 four months. They were of the "U. B. 1" type, with a length of 92 
 feet, 10 feet 3 inches beam and 127 tons displacement. A single Diesel 
 of but 60 horsepower gave a surface speed of 63^ knots and a 120- 
 horsepower electric motor drove them 5J4 knots submerged. 
 
 These boats proved too small, too slow and too unreliable even for 
 the work for which they were intended and in the spring of 1917 a new 
 class known as the "U. B. 2" type was started. These boats were 118 
 feet in length, displaced 324 tons (surface) and were driven by a pair 
 of 140 horsepower Diesel motors giving a surface speed of 9 knots. 
 They had a cruising radius of 6500 sea miles. Thirty boats of this 
 type were built, averaging six to ten months in production, and many 
 of them were shipped in parts to Pola where they were erected for 
 use in the Mediterranean. 
 
 Apparently these "U. B. 2" boats were found successful but they 
 proved too limited in size and speed for work in such places as off the 
 
148 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Photograph by courtesy of Z. /. Crawford. 
 
 A Chaser takes charge of a couple of captured submarines. Note the size of 
 
 the deck guns. 
 
 west coast of Ireland, and so still another class, known as the "U. B. 
 3" was undertaken. They were intended to be suitable for practically 
 the same work as the very large sea-going type, except the longest 
 passages, and their advantage over the big boats was that they were 
 cheaper, quicker to build and a greater number could be constructed 
 at the saine time. In all 202 boats of this type were ordered, of which 
 89 were finished before the Armistice and the fact that the average 
 time of construction was from 12 to 18 months would indicate that the 
 difficulties of manufacture in Germany were just as great as we be- 
 lieved them to be. 
 
 The "U. B. 3" boats were 182 feet in length, of 516 tons surface 
 displacement and were equipped with two Diesel motors of 550 horse- 
 power each, which gave them a surface speed of 13J/2 knots. Their 
 380 horsepower electric motors drove them at about 7^/2 knots when 
 submerged. They were capable of submerging to a depth of 215 feet 
 and could reach a depth of 30 feet in 40 seconds. 
 
 The profile and plans of the "U. B. 3" type which are shown here- 
 with give a good idea of these remarkably successful vessels. It will 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 149 
 
 be seen from the section that they were of the double hull type, the 
 water tanks being external to the inner or pressure hull. They might 
 be called submersibles rather than submarines, for the reason that 
 their reserve buoyancy was 26.2 per cent, giving an under-water dis- 
 placement of T30 tons. When traveling on the surface they stood well 
 out and with their ralving bow and conning-tower had much the same 
 appearance as the submarine chasers, a fact that was a constant source 
 of danger to the latter craft. 
 
 THERE'S MANY A SLIP 
 
 Terrible in its destructive power as a depth bomb proved, it 
 was not always infallible even when dropped in the immediate 
 vicinity of a submarine. The fact is that in spite of the precon- 
 ceived idea of the submarine as a vulnerable fish, it actually could 
 stand a terrible lot of punishment. Time and again it was proved 
 that after a bombardment which had left a submarine supposedly hors 
 de combat it either continued on its way rejoicing or else managed to 
 limp into its home base, and for this reason the Admiralty and our own 
 Staff repeatedly warned the patrol vessels to make absolutely sure of 
 their work for nothing but positive proof of a sinking would be 
 credited. 
 
 There has been much criticism of this strict policy but on the whole 
 it was the only possible one. Several instances taken from one of 
 Admiral Sims' letters to vessels operating in European waters will serve 
 to show that even when a contact was established beyond doubt, there 
 was many a slip 'twixt the sub and the ship. Here are some typical 
 cases. 
 
 A "P" boat sighted the conning-tower of a submarine which im- 
 mediately disappeared at about 500 yards distance. Ship was headed 
 to pass just ahead of where submarine dived and telegraph put to 
 full speed. Just before the position was reached three depth charges 
 were dropped. When they had detonated a fourth was released. Im- 
 mediately afterwards a broken periscope was observed by all on board, 
 and course was headed to ram. When over the position, two hand 
 depth charges were released and helm was put hard over. The sub- 
 marine was then observed to break surface, evidently on her side, as 
 no conning-tower was seen. Course was shaped to ram but the sub- 
 
150 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Photograph by courtesy of Lieut. Bewick S. Cawthorn, R.N.V.R, 
 One of the mysterious "Q boats." This apparently harmless schooner with what 
 appears to be a deck load of lumber, is in reality a decoy with heavy guns which 
 may be brought into play at an instant's notice. The commander of one of these 
 vessels received the Victoria Cross for his brilliant work against German subs. 
 
 marine dived just before the spot was reached. Hebn was again put 
 hard over and the submarine again broke surface on her side and dis- 
 appeared. 
 
 After the explosion of the first four depth charges several of the 
 crew state they saw a grey object resembling the bow or stern of a 
 submarine rise about 8 feet out of the water and immediately disappear. 
 
 "Submarine continued operating." 
 
 A destroyer sighted a submarine, conning-tower awash, in the act 
 of submerging on starboard bow, bearing N. W. by W. distant 170 
 yards, steering approximately S. E. by S. and speed about 4 knots. En- 
 gines were put to full speed and ship steadied on submarine with the 
 intention of ramming, but submarine was seen to be diving so rapidly 
 that the destroyer decided to attack with depth charges. The first 
 charge exploded when subinarine was judged to be under the engine 
 room, and three more dropped at short intervals, all set to 50 feet. 
 The helm was then put hard astarboard and a large dark object re- 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 151 
 
 sembling one-half of the submarine was clearly visible to the N. of 
 the smoke left by the explosion of the first two charges. This object 
 was only visible for ;)0 seconds, and when seen was at an angle of 45° 
 with sea level. When the smoke had cleared away thick oil and air 
 bubbles were observed, and a buoy was dropped on position. Oil and 
 air bubbles continued to rise at intervals for about 6 hours. The de- 
 stroyer patrolled vicinity at slow speed for 3 hours, but nothing further 
 was seen. 
 
 "Submarine continued operating." 
 
 A submarine was sighted coming to surface bearing N. E., approxi- 
 mately 8 miles. A hydrophone flotilla chased and opened fire at ex- 
 treme range firing 22 rounds, all of which fell short. The submarine 
 dived. Flotilla proceeded to hunt with hydrophones and at 6.00 P. M. 
 opened fire with stick bomb-throwers, bearing of submarine being 
 ahead but not accurate enough for depth-charge bombardment. A total 
 of 29 stick-bombs were fired by division. The supposed position of 
 submarine was bombarded with depth charges, and large quantities of 
 oil rose to surface. Division continued to hunt with hydrophone till 
 morning of the following day, when submarine was sighted on surface 
 about 10,000 yards distant. Ship opened fire and gave chase, gradually 
 closing the range till submarine was distant 5,000 yards. Enemy had 
 returned the fire and again opened rapid fire, but all shots went over. 
 When one of the pursuing vessels had closed to 3,500 yards she claims 
 to have scored at least five direct hits, and submarine appeared to be 
 in serious difficulties. After the next two shots she appeared to turn 
 over on her beam ends and sink. 
 
 The pursuer then proceeded at full speed to the spot where she had 
 disappeared and dropped 5 depth charges. A little later Hydrophone 
 Division arrived on the spot and listened, but could hear nothing. 
 
 "Submarine was not destroyed." 
 
 There are many such cases on record and I have cited these typical 
 ones merely to show that potting a sub was not the trivial thing that 
 newspaper reports might lead one to believe. Every vessel that wears 
 the gold star deserves her decoration. 
 
 With thousands of square miles of sea to patrol the chance of get- 
 ting a contact with one of the few score submarines operating at any 
 one time was not a great one, even with the best of equipment. Dur- 
 
152 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 A German submarine of the U. B. 3 type. 
 The length of these vessels was 182 feet, their displacement on the surface 516 tons and th 
 
 these boats w 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 153 
 
 Reproduced from Motor Ship and Motor Boat. 
 
 by twin Diesels of 550 h. p. each. In all 202 of this class were built. Although not large, 
 uccessful. 
 
154 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 r ■"-*'""*»«»"*»,ir»- 
 
 Photograph by Underwood & Underwood. 
 
 A kill — a remarkable photograph taken as the submarine was blown clear of the 
 water by the explosion of a depth bomb. 
 
 ing the months of May, June and July, 1918, anti-submarine forces 
 in European waters made but 78 attacks on what were supposed to be 
 enemy subs. In 45 cases only, was there any evidence that a submarine 
 was operating in the vicinity and in but one lonely case was there any 
 conclusive proof of a kill. That case, by the way, was one of our 
 Submarine Chasers operating in the Straits of Otranto. 
 
 CONCERNING SILENT RUNNING AND OTHER TRICKS 
 
 The fact that many a sub was able to continue his work after 
 a bombardment with depth bombs that had left him supposedly 
 dead, was due not only to the sturdy character of the construc- 
 tion of these boats but to many clever stunts not generally appreciated. 
 For instance, in order to elude pursuing vessels equipped with hydro- 
 phones, it was of the utmost importance to be able to shut down all 
 machinery and lie quietly until the danger had passed. To do this it 
 would seem necessary to remain in water sufficiently shallow to allow 
 the sub to lie on the bottom — say not deeper than twenty to thirty 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 155 
 
 fathoms — but this was not the case. Much as it seems at variance to 
 the laws of hydrauhcs, submarines are able to balance, that is remain 
 idly at a constant depth, without manipulation of the ballast tanks. 
 We know that when a body sinks beneath the surface it keeps on sink- 
 ing, due to the fact that water is practically incompressible and is sup- 
 posed to weigh no more at the bottom than it does at the surface, 
 but there may be some stratification due to aeration or difference of 
 temperature which would help to explain the phenomenon. 
 
 Balancing or, when in shoal enough water, lying on the bottom was 
 considered by the submarine commanders to be the best practice when 
 in the neighborhood of patrol craft, unless there was some indication 
 that the presence of the submarine was suspected. If the periscope 
 had been sighted or sub had been heard on the hydrophones, the prac- 
 tice of the various commanders differed and was governed largely by 
 circumstances. In this connection let's see what the survivors of sev- 
 eral captured submarines say. 
 
 The captain of the "U. B. 52" stated that when attacked it was his 
 policy to keep at periscope depth and allow the depth bombs to explode 
 beneath him. He said that by running at (lO revolutions a minute on 
 one motor (electric) only his boat could not be heard by the listeners. 
 Survi\ors of the "U. B. 72" said that for "silent running" they used 
 both motors at 100 revolutions. 
 
 Prisoners from the "U. 110" when questioned in regard to their 
 practice in avoiding patrol craft, said that when surrounded by such 
 boats, equipped with listening devices, they dived to a depth of from 
 60 to 100 feet and gave the order for "silent running." The port 
 motor was run at a speed of 100 revolutions and the starboard at 80 ; 
 the forward hydroplane was put in a central position and not moved 
 again ; the after hydroplane was left in power but only worked when 
 necessary; the periscope was housed; the gyro compass was left run- 
 ning, but it was forbidden to use the pumps and toilets. After pro- 
 ceeding in this way for an hour, the boat rose to a depth of about 3G 
 feet and an observation taken with the periscope. If the ]iatrol was 
 still in the neighborhood, she dived and repeated the operation. 
 
 It was learned from survivors of the "U. C. 55" that the listening 
 devices with which the German submarines were equipped could detect 
 sounds up to a distance of ten miles, but that they were reliable only 
 
156 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 A reproduction of one of the charts issued daily to the chaser bases. 
 
 The circles represent the position of the submarines as determined each night 
 
 by cross radio bearings and the lines show their courses. 
 
 for distances up to three miles. It was comparatively easy, they said, 
 to distinguish as many as three vessels at one time as each produced 
 a different note, but that if there were more than three vessels, the 
 sound became blurred and unreliable. When pursued by patrol boats 
 with hydrophones, it was the practice of the "U. C. 55" to steer a 
 zig-zag course, stopping occasionally to listen in. 
 
 RADIO DIRECTION FINDER 
 
 An invention which did a great deal toward getting the upper hand 
 of the submarine during the later months of the war, but which, I 
 believe, has not yet become generally known, is the radio direction 
 finder. This device, which is now a part of the regular equipment 
 of our destroyers and was used on the trans-Atlantic fliers, was em- 
 ployed by the British for spotting the subs operating in the vicinity of 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 157 
 
 Another chart showing the areas in which submarines were known to be 
 operating, and the number of submarines in each area. 
 
 the British Isles. It is an attachment used with the radio receiving 
 apparatus by which the exact bearing of the source of the wireless 
 waves may be determined. 
 
 Now the German submarine, in truly methodical German fashion, 
 was wont to come to the surface every night and shoot his report 
 over to Wilhelmshaven by wireless, so that the Herr officers at the 
 German Admiralty might move little colored pins from place to place 
 over a chart neatly checkered with tiny numbered squares. Such com- 
 munication, of course, was in code, but the call letters of each boat re- 
 mained the same, and, thanks to the Intelligence Service, these numbers 
 were known for practically every sub. 
 
 These messages were picked up by the wireless stations along the 
 British coast, but until the last year or so of the war it was impossible 
 to tell from what direction they came. Then the directional apparatus 
 was perfected, and by getting simultaneous bearings from several dif- 
 
158 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 ferent stations, the submarine was spotted at the intersection of these 
 bearings just as accurately as with the directional hydrophones pre- 
 viously described, and after several positions had been obtained for 
 the same sub, night after night, it was fairly easy to anticipate her 
 destination. 
 
 Every night the positions thus obtained were plotted and every 
 morning these charts, reproductions of which are shown herewith, 
 were distributed to the Chasers and the M. L.'s at the British bases at 
 Plymouth and Queenstown, and with the aid of these charts the hunt 
 could be conducted with a much greater chance of success. 
 
 While going to press, Admiral Sims, 
 in his admirable series of articles 
 appearing in "World's Work," pays a 
 glowing tribute to the submarine 
 chasers. He says that the chasers fur- 
 nished the eyes to a navy which was 
 blind to the submarine before their 
 advent, and that as an offensive weapon 
 against the submarine the submarine 
 chasers proved themselves invaluable. 
 
Chapter XIII 
 THE MOTOR AND ITS MAKERS 
 
 SOMEONE has said that the World War was a war of the 
 motor and when we remember the parts played by the aero- 
 plane, the tank, the motor truck, the submarine and the 
 motor boat, we must agree that there is more than an element of 
 truth in the statement. We are concerned here only with the 
 motor boat and in the foregoing pages we have gained some idea of 
 the work performed by the Submarine Chasers and the M. L.'s, 
 without which it is doubtful whether the submarine could have 
 been overcome. There were other types of motor boats, to be 
 sure — but these were a mere handful when compared to the hun- 
 dreds of Chasers and M. L.'s. Now that we know something of 
 these boats and what they did, let us turn our attention to the 
 engine with which this vast mosquito fleet was powered, and the 
 organization that produced it. 
 
 The Standard Motor Construction Company was organized in 
 1900. taking over at that time the manufacture of the Standard 
 Marine Engine, which for many years had been built by the late 
 Carl C. Riotte, its inventor and designer. Those familiar with in- 
 ternal combustion engine patent office records know how often the 
 name of this pioneer appears in connection with the fundamental 
 steps in the development of the marine engine. Many of Mr. 
 Riotte's ideas have attained a success far greater than he could 
 have dreamed. WHien in 1902 he worked out the first six-cylinder, 
 balanced, direct-reversing engine, little did he know that his handi- 
 work was destined to play so large a part in the greatest war of 
 all time. 
 
 This engine did away entirely with the reverse gear, coupled as it 
 was directly to the propeller shaft, and with its perfect balance, it 
 permitted the quickest possible action. It was the first six-cylinder 
 unit and the excellence of the type, in which Mr. Riotte had such 
 faith back in the days when many of his ideas were considered 
 
160 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Engine room of a sub-chaser showing the three Standard propelling engines 
 and the Standard auxiliary set. 
 
 radical, has since been endorsed by the automobile, the aeroplane 
 and the Diesel ship. 
 
 It was the air starting and reversing feature of the Standard 
 engine which, more than any other thing, made for the success of 
 the Chasers. The manipulation of a small hand lever was sufficient 
 to start the huge motors in either direction. To reverse the direc- 
 tion of rotation the cams were shifted by means of another small 
 lever and the air applied just as in starting previously, although this 
 was seldom necessary because of the fact that in almost every case 
 the motors reverse on the spark alone. 
 
 And then there was the vacuum-controlled vaporizer which was 
 designed to regulate automatically the mixture of gasoline and air 
 at all engine speeds by means of a shutter which swings over the 
 sprayer nozzles, uncovering just the right number for any given 
 condition of running. The external circulating water system, the 
 make-and-break ignition, the easy accessibility of the parts and 
 their sturdy design also were points to which may be attributed 
 the success of the engines in the hands of boys, many of whom, it 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 161 
 
 Part of the erecting floor at the Standard shops. 
 
 may truthfully be said, hadn't even a speaking acquaintance with a 
 flivver before the war. 
 
 The pioneer work of this able mind brought a wonderful success 
 and reputation to the Standard organization, although at a great 
 expense and consequent sacrifice of profit. In the long run, how- 
 ever, it was found that industrially and economically the Company 
 had built on a sound basis. The factories in Jersey City, New 
 Jersey, gradually were built up to be the largest in the marine 
 gasoline engine industry by as efficient, loyal and capable men as 
 ever were brought together — men who believed fully in the product 
 and its ultimate success, men loyal not only in the office and 
 draughting room but right down the line to the least skilled mechanic, 
 and all proud to be known as members of the organization, and 
 conscious of its prestige. 
 
 Backed with this product and this spirit, the company carried 
 on through the years of general depression prior to the war, with 
 an ever increasing following. A limited amount of naval work 
 had been accomplished during the Russo-Japanese War, and some 
 
162 
 
 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Assembling Chaser engines at the Standard Shops. 
 
 scout patrol boats had been equipped with Standard engines prior 
 to the World War, but these were mere incidents to a normal 
 production such as existed up to the early part of 1915. 
 
 Then came the epoch-making contract for Standard engines for 
 the British M. L.'s, making it necessary for the company to enlarge 
 its plant and expand its organization to the very limit. Working 
 two shifts of eleven hours each, nine hours straight time and two 
 hours overtime at "time and a half", the spirit of cooperation and 
 the desire to beat the Hun were in every man. 
 
 Noon-day meetings were held in the factory, and through their 
 shop association the men were brought to appreciate the impor- 
 tance of the work they were doing. There was no limit on produc- 
 tion. Every efifort was made on every man's part to earn and 
 produce to the utmost. In the manufacturing, every piece was 
 covered by a bonus or piece work system. 
 
 The company pursued the intelligent method of having many 
 parts manufactured by a number of outside firms who were idle 
 at that time. Those parts were built not only to sample but to 
 drawings and specifications: and jigs, gauges, etc., were furnished. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 163 
 
 'mrAmmA,mp fV 
 
 "•-- - •■ >i»^ 
 
 Jacket water lacing cooled for engines aggregating over 4000 H. P. running on 
 the testing stand continuously day and night. 
 
 This gave the absolute iiiterchangeabihty of parts which, in later 
 months, was so warmly appreciated by the Allied Navies. 
 
 At the time of our entrance into the w^ar, the officials of the 
 Standard Motor Construction Company were sent for by the Sec- 
 retary of the Navy and were informed that the company's coopera- 
 tion in checking the submarine menace was desired. The record 
 already made by the Standard Engine in European waters was 
 known to the Department, and the Standard Company was called 
 upon to furnish propelling machinery for every Submarine Chaser 
 that could be built by the combined boat builders of the country. 
 The company met this rate of production and furthermore, met the 
 requirements of the Navy at a far lower cost per horsepower than 
 was expected by the government officials. 
 
 The Standard Motor Construction Company completed its con- 
 tract with the Navy Department within twelve months and 
 immediately was commissioned to execute another order for fifty 
 boats as well as more repeat orders from the British, French and 
 Italian Governments. Although the Italian and French Govern- 
 
164 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Every engine when completed underwent a test for fuel economy and horse power 
 of 3 hours. One set of propelling machinery in every 20 underwent a 24 hour 
 non stop test. This insured a Standard of efficiency, without delaying the work. 
 
 ments eventually commenced building their own hulls, they contin- 
 ued to purchase Standard engines. The result was some 750,000 
 horsepower in gasoline motors contributed to the navies of the 
 world, consisting of three thousand main engines identical in 
 design and one thousand two hundred auxiliary sets. Due to the 
 absolute interchangeability this meant that spare parts could be 
 stocked at all the different bases, easily accessible to any of the 
 thirteen hundred boats in any one of the Allied Navies. 
 
 A thing which contributed largely to the successful operation of 
 the motors day in and day out was the system of supplying spare 
 parts, not only to the boats themselves but to the bases or mother 
 ships from which the Chasers operated. With each engine that left 
 the shop there was included a set of spare parts, which was sufficient 
 to enable a boat to carry on independently and eliminate the delays 
 incident to the inevitable governmental red tape. The engine 
 room crew were thus able to make minor repairs instead of running 
 an engine with a part that needed attention while waiting for an 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 165 
 
 The finished Standard Engines were moved into the shipping department in a 
 
 continuous line. 
 
 official requisition to be passed from department to department in 
 wearying progression. Tlie system enabled new crews to remedy 
 their own mistakes until such time as they had gained sufficient 
 experience to make frequent replacements unnecessary. 
 
 For each thirty engines "ten boat spares'' were sent to the bases 
 and mother ships including larger parts that might be broken through 
 serious accident, such as collision or shell fire. 
 
 But what were the conditions in the factory during the accom- 
 plishment of all this work of production and supply? Many people 
 have asked: "How could you turn out this tremendous horsepower 
 without having strikes, delays, accidents, etc., such as interfered 
 so much with other work ?" 
 
 To all this the Company has answered, "the loyalty of our men." 
 
 Although the organization increased from three hundred to 
 twelve hundred men the spirit and tradition of the shop, its system 
 of production, etc., were rapidly absorbed by the newcomers. The 
 internal organization of the shop employes gave ample opportunity 
 
166 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Carl C. Riotte 
 
 for fair adjustment and fair dealing which ensured a continuance of 
 friendly relations, and consequently, a pride in the work. 
 
 This spirit of loyalty, furthermore, acted far better than any 
 espionage system that could have been devised, in preventing any activ- 
 ity on the part of German incendiaries or obstructionists. The 
 destruction due to German sympathizers experienced in other plants 
 was all but nil. 
 
 The work was so organized that the new men were absorbed as 
 specialists under the supervision of older men as instructors and 
 leaders. The work passed through in such large quantities that one 
 man made one part continuously according to the balance of pro- 
 duction. This was true not only in the manufacture of parts but 
 in the systematizing of all the work even to assembling the engines 
 on the floor, moving the engines to the test house, testing the 
 engines, delivering to the shipping room, inspecting and shipment. 
 
 An idea of what was accomplished by this thorough systematiza- 
 tion may be gleaned from the fact that forty tons of propelling 
 machinery were shipped every day and that an excess of forty tons 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 167 
 
 The 220 H. P. air starting and air reversing Standard Engine. 
 
 in raw materials and finished parts were brought into the factory 
 every day. 
 
 Of course this required a large corps of shipping and receiving 
 men who were in two separate departments. The main receiving room 
 was on a side track at one end of the factory and the shipping room on 
 a side track at the other end, while at both ends large motor trucks 
 were continually busy carting materials in and finished motors away 
 from the factory. 
 
 When production reached its maximum, there were 18 complete 
 sets of submarine chaser machinery built, shipped, installed and tested 
 in one week. This meant 54 main propelling engines, 18 auxiliary 
 engines, 54 propeller shafts and all piping and fittings complete. 
 
 The yards where the work of installation was done were situated 
 along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts as well as on the shores of the 
 Great Lakes and the Gulf of Mexico. By systematizing the work so 
 that one group of men installed the motors, another the propellers and 
 shafts, another the piping, and so on, this work, including the trials, was 
 cut down to one week, and telegrams announcing successful trials 
 began to come in at the rate of three and four a day. 
 
168 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 But it would have been impossible to have attained this maximum 
 production without the cooperation of the Bureau of Steam Engineer- 
 ing. Great credit is due Admiral Griffin and his able aid in charge of 
 sub chaser machinery, Commander Joseph C. Fisher. Knowing defi- 
 nitely what they wanted, these men decided promptly the innumerable 
 queries that poured in from the builders, with the result that the tra- 
 ditional delays in completing Government contracts, did not materialize. 
 
 And then, too, the intelligent inspection by Rear Admiral Little 
 and his assistants, for both our own and the French Government, 
 greatly facilitated the work, as did that of Engineer Commander Nibbs 
 for the British and Major Galileo for the Italian Government. 
 
 Glorious as was the accomplishment of this tremendous task, the 
 satisfaction of a job well done was enhanced by the recognition it 
 drew forth from the governments involved. In addition to the 
 testimony of the British, French and Italian officers, was the prac- 
 tical commendation of their governments in reordering Standard 
 engines right up to the end of the war and even taking delivery in 
 full of everything that was in the course of construction at the time 
 —a striking proof of their appreciation. 
 
 The commendation of the Secretary of our own Navy, the Hon. 
 Josephus Daniels, on opposite page, was a fitting climax and a most 
 gratifying ending and rounding out of a war work in keeping with 
 the tradition and success of the Standard ortranization. 
 
 "Victory," a super-sub chaser designed by Irwin Chase, built by the EIco 
 Works and powered with twin Standards of 500 H. P. each. 
 
The Secretary op the Navy 
 
 AND H^pm TO NO. 
 
 N-A-VY DEPARTMENT 
 
 WASHINGTON 
 
 Ootobar 22,1918. 
 
 Sear Sir: 
 
 Iha Department desires to express Its 
 appreciation of the excellent showing made by your 
 Company on the dellTery of the fifty sets of pro- 
 pelling machinery for the 110 ft< suhmarlne 
 chasers recently delivered to the Eronoh Sovern- 
 ment. The reoorde show that the last of these 
 hoata completed trials irlthln eighteen days of 
 the contract date of delivery of the boats. 
 
 Another nndertatclng which should be of 
 special Interest to yon and your employees is 
 the ezoallent showing maide by submarine chasers 
 in the recent Allied raid on the Austrian Hayal 
 Base at Surazzo, of which you have undoubtedly 
 seen press reports. Please express to your 
 organization the thanks of the Kavy Department 
 for the splendid spirit of co-operation which has 
 made such results possible. 
 
 Very truly yours. 
 
 Seoretary of the Havy- 
 
 Mr. Eugene A. Hlotte, President, 
 Standard Uotor Construction Co., 
 Jersey City, H.J, 
 
170 THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 THE M. L.'s IN TABULAR FORM 
 (Number Built for Allied Nations, 720) 
 
 Dimensions 
 
 Length over all 79 ft. 7 in. 
 
 Length on the water line 78 ft. 9 in. 
 
 Extreme beam over guards 13 ft. 5 in. 
 
 Beam on deck 12 ft. 1 in. 
 
 Draught to bottom of deadwood 3 ft. 1 in. 
 
 Full load displacement 78,000 lb. 
 
 Construction 
 
 Planking; yellow pine, V/i in. thick. 
 
 Frames; white oak, steam bent, l}i in. sided by 1% in. molded, spaced 
 12 in. center to center. Heavy frames at bulkheads, 2^4 in. by 
 2>4 in. 
 
 Deck planking; Oregon pine in strips, 2^^ in. wide by 1% in. thick. 
 
 Deck beams; white oak, sided lj4 in., molded 2J^ in. 
 
 Keel ; white oak, sided 4 in. 
 
 Keelson ; yellow pine, 4 in. by 5 in. 
 
 Floors; galvanized wrought iron, ly^ in. wide, ^ in. thick at center, 
 tapered to ^ in. at ends. 
 
 Knees connecting frames to beams ; wrought, 3 in. by }i, in. 
 
 Upper clamp; yellow pine, 13/^ in. by 4j^ in. 
 
 Main clamp; yellow pine, lyi by 4^ in. 
 
 Main clamp ; yellow pine, V/j by 5^/ in. 
 
 Hogging clamp ; yellow pine, 1^^ in. by 5^/ in. 
 
 Side keelson; yellow pine, 1^ in. by Qyi in. 
 
 Bilge stringer ; yellow pine, 1J4 in. by 4^ in. 
 
 Bulkheads ; six steel, about yi in. thick, located at frames Nos. 6, 26, 
 40, 47, 52 and 71. The bulkheads at the ends of the gasoline 
 compartment were made gasoline tight by the use of a special 
 paint composed of litharge, glycerine and shellac. 
 
 (Continued on page 172) 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 171 
 
 BODY PLAN 
 
 HALF-BREADTH PLAN 
 
 The design of the British M. L.'s. 
 
172 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 It will be noticed from the outboard profile and arrangement plans 
 that the difference in appearance between one of these boats and a 
 modern express cruiser of about the same size and power is slight, 
 except for the long fore deck of the M. L., which is kept clear of all 
 obstructions to give a wide angle of fire to the short-caliber 13-pounder 
 mounted just forward of the low chart house, over the midship fuel 
 tanks. The reader may have noticed that it was found necessary later 
 to build up a permanent shelter for the helmsman just aft of the trunk. 
 
 In form these boats are nothing more than big runabouts. In fact, 
 if the scale were changed to give a length of 35 ft., they would have 
 not only the proper proportions but about the correct displacement for 
 a high-speed runabout of that size. 
 
 Machinery 
 
 The power plant consists of a twin screw installation of two 6- 
 cylinder, 4-cycle air-starting and reversing motors having cylinders 
 10 in. bore by 11 in. stroke, built by the Standard Motor Construction 
 Co., of Jersey City, N. J. These motors, which are rated by the 
 builder at 230 hp. at 400 r.p.m., are directly connected to the three- 
 bladed propellers, 42-in. diameter by 63-in. pitch. 
 
 An auxiliary set, also made by the Standard Motor Construction 
 Co., includes an air compressor, a 4J/2-kw. generator and a bilge and fire 
 pump. The total capacity of the tanks is 2100 gal., giving a radius of 
 action of 750 nautical miles at 19 knots and 1000 nautical miles at 
 15 knots. 
 
 The maximum speed obtained on trial varied on the different boats 
 from about 19^ knots to almost 21 knots. 
 
 The 720 M. L.'s were built for the allied nations by the Elco Co., 
 at Bayonne, N. J., Montreal and Quebec. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 173 
 
 DETAILS OF THE 110-FOOT "S. C." CLASS 
 (Total Built for U. S. Navy and France, 450) 
 
 Dimensions 
 
 Length over all 110 ft. 
 
 Length on the water line 105 ft. 
 
 Extreme beam over guards 15 ft. 4j4 in. 
 
 Beam on deck 11 ft. 8% in. 
 
 Draught to bottom of deadwood 5 ft 11 in. 
 
 Full load displacement 75 tons 
 
 Construction 
 
 Planking; yellow pine, 1}^ in. thick. 
 
 Frames ; white oak, steam bent, sided 2}^ in., molded 3 in., spaced 13 
 
 in, center to center. Heavy frames at bulkheads and at points 
 
 where special strength is needed, 4 in. sided by 3 in. molded. 
 Deck planking; Oregon pine laid straight fore and aft, 1^ in., thick 
 
 and 3 in. wide. 
 Keel ; yellow pine, sided 7 in. 
 
 Keel batten ; white oak, sided 9 in. by 8 in. molded. 
 Floors ; white oak, on every frame, 2 in. thick. Heavy floors in engine 
 
 space and under gun foundations 3J/2 in. thick. 
 Upper clamp ; yellow pine, 3% in. by 3}i in. 
 Main clamp ; yellow pine, 4% in. by 2% in. 
 Hogging clamp ; yellow pine, 8 in. by 2 in. 
 Bulkheads; six steel, about 7J4 lb. per square foot on frames Nos. ]0, 
 
 33, 37, 53, 74 and 78. 
 
 Lines 
 
 The line drawing shown is not an official plan, but is a close ap- 
 Iproximation to the form. The lines show a form which all experi- 
 enced men will immediately accept as an excellent one for sea work. 
 The water line forward is fuller than in the M. L.'s and the stern much 
 
174 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 finer. All sections show a sharp rise of floor which becomes even 
 sharper at the ends. At the stern there is a transom much like that of 
 a dory in shape. The heavy weights of the machinery, fuel and arma- 
 ment are kept well in toward the center of the length so that the bow 
 can rise easily and quickly to the sea. Owing to the fine lines of the 
 after body there is a tendency for the boat to "squat" at top speed. 
 
 Machinery 
 
 The S. C.'s are driven by triple screws each directly connected to a 
 6-cylinder, 220-hp. air-starting and reversing motor built by the Stand- 
 ard Motor Construction Company. This is exactly the same motor 
 used in the British M. L.'s and was already being produced in quantity 
 when the chaser program was started. The original propellers were 
 three-bladed, 36-in. diameter by 63-in. pitch, and were changed later 
 to 39-in. diameter by 57^^ -in. pitch. The center engine can be uncoupled 
 from its propeller shaft to allow the wheel to turn without dragging 
 when the boat is cruising under the two wing screws. 
 
 The auxiliary machinery set is a duplicate of that in the M. L.'s 
 previously described. Gasoline is carried in four large shaped tanks 
 fitted on the compartment forward of the engine room under the floor 
 of the officers' quarters. The total capacity is 2400 gal, which gives 
 a radius of action of about 1000 nautical miles at a cruising speed of 
 12 knots. The maximum speed is between 16 and 17 knots. About 
 13/2 to 1% knots more speed is obtained under all three engines than 
 under the two wing engines alone. 
 
THE CIXDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 175 
 
 W- 
 
 Lines, profile and arrangement plans of the 110-foot Submarine Chasers. 
 
176 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 American Builders of the 110-Foot Chasers. 
 
 1-4 
 
 New Orleans Naval Station, 
 New Orleans, La. 
 
 189-203 
 
 5-64 
 
 New York Navy Yard, 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 204-208 
 
 65-74 
 
 Mathis Yacht Building Co., 
 Camden, N. J. 
 
 209-213 
 
 75-89 
 
 Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., 
 Kingston, N. Y. 
 
 214-217 
 
 90-105 
 
 Elco Co., 
 
 Bayonne, N. J. 
 
 218-222 
 
 106-113 
 
 Charleston Navy Yard, 
 Charleston, N. C. 
 
 223-242 
 
 114-115 
 
 New York Navy Yard, 
 
 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 243-247 
 
 116-136 
 
 Norfolk Navy Yard, 
 
 
 
 Norfolk, Va. 
 
 248-250 
 
 137-138 
 
 Hogdon Bros., 
 
 
 
 East Boothbay, Me. 
 
 251-252 
 
 140-141 
 
 Hartman-Greiling Co., 
 
 
 
 Green Bay, Wis. 
 
 253-272 
 
 142-143 
 
 Rocky River Dry Dock Co., 
 
 
 
 Rocky River, O. 
 
 273-287 
 
 144-146 
 
 Vinyard Shipbuilding Co., 
 
 
 
 Milford, Del. 
 
 288-312 
 
 147-148 
 
 L, E. Fry & Co. (E. J. 
 
 
 
 Wright), Clayton, N. Y. 
 
 313-317 
 
 149-150 
 
 Dubuque Boat & Boiler Wks., 
 
 
 
 Dubuque, Iowa. 
 
 318-322 
 
 151-155 
 
 Gibbs Gas Engine Co., 
 
 
 
 Jacksonville, Fla. 
 
 323-327 
 
 156-159 
 
 F. M. Blount, 
 
 
 
 Pensacola, Fla. 
 
 328-329 
 
 160-168 
 
 Howard E. Wheeler, 
 
 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 
 330 
 
 169-178 
 
 Matthews Boat Co., 
 
 
 
 Port Clinton, O. 
 
 331-332 
 
 179-188 
 
 International Shipbuilding & 
 
 
 
 Marine Engine Co., Upper 
 
 333-336 
 
 
 Nyack, N. Y. 
 
 
 General Spbldg. & Aero Co., 
 
 Washington, D. C. 
 Gibbs Gas Engine Co., 
 
 Jacksonville, Fla. 
 Mathis Yacht Bldg. Co., 
 
 Camden, N. J. 
 Alexander McDonald, 
 
 Mariners' Harbor, N. Y. 
 Newcomb Life Boat Co., 
 
 Hampton, Va. 
 New York, Yacht, Launch & 
 
 Engine Co., Morris Heights, 
 
 N. Y. 
 Eastern Shipyard Co., 
 
 Greenport, N. Y. 
 Chance Marine Const. Co., 
 
 Annapolis, Md. 
 Camden Anchor - Rockland 
 
 Machine Co., Camden, Me. 
 Geo. Lawley & Son Corp., 
 
 Neponset, Mass. 
 Mare Island Navy Yard, 
 
 Philadelphia, Pa. 
 Puget Sound Ship Yard, 
 
 Bremerton, Wash. 
 Robert Jacob, 
 
 City Island, N. Y. 
 Luders Marine Const. Co., 
 
 Stamford, Conn. 
 Kyle & Purdy, 
 
 City Island, N. Y. 
 Great Lake Boat Bldg. Corp., 
 
 Milwaukee, Wis. 
 Burger Boat Co., 
 
 Manitowoc, Wis. 
 Smith & Williams Co., 
 
 Salisbury, Md. 
 Barrett Shipbuilding Co., 
 
 Mobile, Ala. 
 
THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 177 
 
 337-338 L. E. Fry & Co., 
 
 Clayton, N. Y. 
 339-346 American Car & Foundry 
 
 Co., Wilmington, Del. 
 347-360 College Point Boat Corp., 
 
 College Point, N. Y. 
 361-364 Elco Co., 
 
 Bayonne, N. J. 
 365-370 Gibbs Gas Engine Co., 
 
 Jacksonville, Fla. 
 371-375 Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., 
 
 Kingston, N. Y. 
 376-380 Kyle & Purdy, 
 
 City Island, N. Y. 
 381-385 Mathis Yacht BIdg. Co., 
 
 Camden, N. J. 
 386-392 Matthews Boat Co., 
 
 Port Clinton, O. 
 393-402 New Y'ork Y'acht, Launch & 
 
 Engine Co., Morris Heights, 
 N. Y. 
 403-406 Rocky River Dry Dock Co., 
 
 Rocky River, O. 
 
 407-408 Camden Anchor - Rockland 
 
 Machine Co., Camden, Me. 
 409 Chance Marine Const. Co., 
 
 Annapolis, Md. 
 411-412 Clayton Ship & Boat BIdg. 
 
 Corporation, Clayton, N. Y. 
 413-418 College Point Boat BIdg. 
 
 Corp., College Point, N. Y. 
 419-420 Great Lakes Boat BIdg. 
 
 Corp., Milwaukee, Wis. 
 421-425 Hiltebrant Dry Dock Co., 
 
 Kingston, N. Y. 
 426-430 Mathis Yacht BIdg. Co., 
 
 Camden, N. J. 
 431-433 Matthews Boat Co., 
 
 Port CHnton, O. 
 434-436 Alexander McDonald, 
 
 Mariners' Harbor, N. Y. 
 437-438 Rocky River Dry Dock Co., 
 
 Rocky River, O. 
 439-441 Howard E. Wheeler, 
 
 Brooklyn, N. Y. 
 442-444 New Orleans Naval Station, 
 
 New Orleans, La. 
 
178 
 
 THE CINDERELLAS OF THE FLEET 
 
 Where Submarine Chasers in Foreign Waters Were Stationed 
 
 1 Plymouth 
 
 34 Plymouth 
 
 35 Plymouth 
 
 36 Plymouth 
 
 37 Plymouth 
 
 38 Plymouth 
 
 39 Plymouth 
 
 40 Plymouth 
 
 41 Plymouth 
 
 44 Plymouth 
 
 45 Plymouth 
 
 46 Plymouth 
 
 47 Plymouth 
 
 48 Plymouth 
 
 62 Azores 
 
 63 Azores 
 
 64 Azores 
 72 Gibraltar 
 
 77 Corfu 
 
 78 Corfu 
 
 79 Corfu 
 
 80 Corfu 
 
 81 Corfu 
 
 82 Corfu 
 
 83 Plymouth 
 
 84 Plymouth 
 
 85 Plymouth 
 
 86 Plymouth 
 
 87 Plymouth 
 
 90 Corfu 
 
 91 Plymouth 
 
 93 Corfu 
 
 94 Corfu 
 
 95 Corfu 
 
 96 Corfu 
 
 97 Plymouth 
 
 98 Harwich 
 
 99 Le Palleau 
 
 100 St. Nazaire 
 
 101 Brest 
 103 Brest 
 
 110 Plymouth 
 
 111 Plymouth 
 124 Corfu 
 
 125 Corfu 
 
 126 Gibraltar 
 
 127 Corfu 
 
 128 Corfu 
 
 129 Corfu 
 
 130 Corfu 
 
 131 Corfu 
 
 135 Azores 
 
 136 Gibraltar 
 
 137 Plymouth 
 143 Brest 
 
 147 Corfu 
 
 148 Brest 
 151 Corfu 
 
 164 Plymouth 
 
 165 Azores 
 
 177 Brest 
 
 178 Plymouth 
 
 179 Corfu 
 
 180 Gibraltar 
 
 181 Plymouth 
 
 182 Plymouth 
 
 190 Gibraltar 
 
 191 Gibraltar 
 
 206 Plymouth 
 
 207 Plymouth 
 
 208 Plymouth 
 
 210 Gibraltar 
 
 211 Azores 
 
 212 Gibraltar 
 
 213 Azores 
 
 214 Gibraltar 
 
 215 Corfu 
 
 216 Corfu 
 
 217 Corfu 
 
 220 Plymouth 
 
 221 Plymouth 
 
 222 Plymouth 
 
 223 Gibraltar 
 
 224 Brest 
 
 225 Corfu 
 
 226 Bordeaux 
 
 227 Corfu 
 244 Corfu 
 
 248 Corfu 
 
 255 Corfu 
 
 256 Corfu 
 
 257 Plymouth 
 
 251 Azores 
 
 252 Plymouth 
 
 253 Gibraltar 
 
 254 Plymouth 
 
 258 Plymouth 
 
 259 Plymouth 
 
 260 Le Palleau 
 262 Plymouth 
 264 Azores 
 
 270 Gibraltar 
 
 271 Plymouth 
 
 272 Plymouth 
 
 277 Azores 
 
 278 Azores 
 301 Azores 
 
 321 Harwich 
 
 322 Brest 
 
 323 Plymouth 
 
 324 Corfu 
 
 325 Plymouth 
 327 Corfu 
 
 329 Plymouth 
 
 330 Gibraltar 
 
 331 Gibraltar 
 
 332 Gibraltar 
 
 337 Corfu 
 
 338 Corfu 
 
 340 Azores 
 
 341 Azores 
 
 342 Plymouth 
 
 343 Plymouth 
 
 344 Plymouth 
 
 345 Plymouth 
 
 346 Plymouth 
 349 Corfu 
 
 351 Bordeaux 
 
 352 Plymouth 
 354 Plymouth 
 356 Plymouth